1 John 2:15-17
“Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world-the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride of life-is not from the Father but is from the world. And the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever.”
Sin is an all-consuming evil. The all-inclusive list of each individual’s sins, as well as the sins of the entire human race pierce the heart of our Lord. They are innumerable. The main problem with sin, is once it sneaks into our lives, those who Follow Christ do not take it serious enough to terminate it. Any pitfall leading to sin can cause a believer’s thoughts to be minimized to the severity of their decision. Justification of clear disobedience to purity is often viewed as “not that serious,” or “God will forgive me.”
God will always forgive sin if your heart is sincere and desires change, but God will not tolerant being used. Living in such a way to promote purity is not only following in obedience to God’s design for your life, it frees you from past, present and future bondage. Only because of Jesus do we possess freedom to give over the weight of sin within the timespan of life. When I feel the temptation to sin, I remember Matthew 12:36, “I tell you, on the day of judgment people will give account for every careless word they speak.” When my life is over, I will stand face to face with God and be reminded of everything I did while on earth, both evil and beneficial. If there is any hope for His reprimands to be minimized, I must display intentionality every day of my life to think before I speak and act. Not with my mind, but with God’s wisdom I only obtain through a relationship with Him.
Starting in verse 15 of the passage from 1 John 2, “If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.” Everyone gets distracted at times and desires possessions and success. The problem is, worldly desires leave you only feeling empty, beginning a cycle of lifelong dissatisfaction. When you want and get, you always want more. The encouragement is knowing the same is true of Christ. The more we get of Him, the more we want and He can always give us more. The distinct difference is HE Satisfies. He will never leave us empty. If your desires are focused on all this world can offer you, when it fades you will have nothing. You will only be left with an eternal death without Jesus. If you find yourself at any point getting distracted with shifty yearning eyes, it is time to ask God for help to refocus. Verse 17, “And the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever.” A comfort to know obedience in Christ and reliance on Him to remove sin, means a lifelong meaningful exemplary Christ like existence.
2 Peter 1:10 states, “Therefore, brothers, be all the more diligent to confirm your calling and election, for if you practice these qualities you will never fall.” It is not complicated, but it is a serious decision. Who do you want to follow; the world or Christ? You cannot follow both. Those who chose Christ must be all the more diligent as Paul says, by developing a deep bond with Christ. When the world entices you, you will be wiser to its schemes and less likely to fall into a black hole of impulse.