The World

The World
Words of Faith 5-13-24
Dr. Jeffrey D. Hoy © 2024
Jeff.Hoy@faithfellowshipweb.com
Faith Fellowship Church - Melbourne, FL
www.faithfellowshipweb.com
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1 John 2
[15] Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. [16] For everything in the world, the cravings of sinful man, the lust of his eyes and the boasting of what he has and does, comes not from the Father but from the world. [17] The world and its desires pass away, but the man who does the will of God lives forever.

God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son... (John 3:16) So how can John tell us now-- not to love the world? There must be a difference. In fact, there is.
The "world" that God loved enough to give His one and only Son for was the world that He created, all of the world's people, His original vision and plan. God loved it enough that even when it rebelled and turned away, that world was worth dying for. But God never loved the fallen nature of the world.
John makes it clear that the cravings of sinful man, the lust of lost eyes, and the pride that boasts no need for God did not come from the Father. So, we are called to love the world like God did. We love a lost world to Jesus. We are to love those who are "worldly," but we must not love the things that are "worldly." That is hard.
There are terrible things in this world, but also many nice things to "love." We are fond of saying we "love" this or that thing. We love our stuff, our entertainment, and our pleasures. "I loved that movie..." "I love that car..." ('65 Mustangs are a particularly seductive lot!) "I love my computer... that house... my job... to play tennis... to travel... that dress... to look young... to feel healthy..." On and on it goes.
Beware. Don't let those possessions, experiences, or activities begin to possess you. Don't let those experiences become your god.
Are all those things "bad"? No. Not as long as we see them in their place. The house is a shelter. The movie can be a medium of communication. Tennis is a form of recreation but not a place of worship. The computer is just a way to get things done. The job is an opportunity to serve the Lord. A car is a tool, even if "classic tools" are really nice :‑). We must never forget that they are all passing away.
We are called to be good stewards of the world, but we must NOT love it. We can find the correct use for money, resources, and things, but we must never LOVE those things.
What can we love? God and people, including ourselves. Anything that might tempt us away from loving the Lord with all our heart, mind, soul, and strength and loving our neighbor as ourselves is an idol. Any "thing" we place before God, people, or higher than a relationship is sin. When we love God and people, we do God's will and discover eternal things.

Lord, I love You. I really love You. Yet, I know that I have not consistently shown that. But I love You. And I love the people You have brought into my life (including myself). I do not understand some of them yet (including myself). Some of them I do not feel love about (including myself at times). But I choose to value them as You do; they are worth dying for. I am available to Your love for them (including me) through me. Fill me up, Lord, with a love for You and for people who will keep my eyes off the things of this world. In Jesus' name, Amen.

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The Words of Faith devotion is published five days a week by E-mail, excluding Federal holidays. Please feel free to forward this devotion to a friend who might be blessed by this devotion. Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture is quoted from the New International Version (R) of The Holy Bible. Copyright (c) 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House. All rights reserved. Words of Faith (c) 1997, 2024 Jeffrey D. Hoy. All rights reserved. Permission is granted to forward this copyrighted material or use portions of it with appropriate notation of the source for non-profit purposes.