Day 16                                                  

 In the World, Not of the World                                  

 I John 2:15

“Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him.”

When rescuers were finally able to pull a middle-aged man from the wreckage of a horrible car accident, he was taken to a nearby hospital.  It soon became apparent that he would die.  As the chaplain comforted him, the man, who was a Christian, exclaimed: “As I look squarely at eternity, I realize now just how much I wasted my life on things that don’t matter.”  What a sad revelation!  Today’s passage offers a strong challenge to those who waste their lives on things that just don’t matter.

John opens this passage with uncompromising words:  “Do not love the world or anything in the world.”  At first glance, this verse may seem at odds with the passage in John 3:16 “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son.”  Most likely, John here is using a different use of the word world.  In John 3:16, the word world is used to refer to lost souls, whereas here in I John 2:15 refers to an entire system of beliefs and values that we might call a “worldview.”  This world view is completely opposed to God and His ways.  To clarify what he means here, John list three elements of this worldview.  First, he warns against “cravings.”  These are misplaced appetites for some of our most powerful drives such as for food, for intimacy, and for recognition.  Second, John talks about the “lust of the eyes.”  This includes both what we can see and what we can imagine.  This is best summarized as our tendency to look at external qualities without really inquiring about what is on the inside.  For example, many people are tempted by the pursuit of wealth because of all they imagine it will enable them to possess.  And finally, John addresses pride.  Pride is that self-sufficiency that attempts to manufacture what God has promised, or what He has forbidden, rather than humbly allowing Him to give what we need.

In application as we look at this verse – don’t condemn everything material as evil.  Instead, focus on our affection for the “stuff” around us.  In other words, it’s not so much about what kind of car we drive, but rather the reason we might have for wanting it or something better.  What John is saying, is that we can’t ever let these kinds of things distract us from what is eternal:  that is God Himself.  The things of this world will soon be gone, but God is everlasting.  Love not the world – but have a Love for God that surpasses everything else!

“Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul”