1 John 2:15 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. English Standard Version (ESV)
This season as we prepare to celebrate and remember God's greatest gift to the world, Jesus Christ His Son, we should be mindful of today's verse. With all of the advertisements centered around thing, things that will soon be cast aside or worn out, it is easy to see what the world loves. As The Message paraphrase of the passage points out below, the love, the desire of things cumulatively "squeeze out love for the Father" who gave this great gift.
The preceding verses indicate a way that can help us avoid falling into this trap. The Message says "God's word is so steady in you". If you are rooted and grounded in the Word of God, if He is communicating with you through His Word and you are applying what you read and hear, taking it to heart, you won't be so inclined to "love the world'.
John Piper points out that "the text contains one commandment and three arguments, or incentives. The commandment is , "Don't love the world or the things in the world." The first incentive is that if you love the world, you don't love God. The second incentive is that if you love the world, you will perish with the world. And the third incentive is that if you love God instead of the world, you will live with God forever."
The Message in verse 16 reminds us that these things of the world "wanting your own way and wanting everything for yourself" will isolate yourself from God. Who wants to be alone for Christmas? Who would want to be isolated from God? The way to do this is to give, to surrender to Him and in doing so you will live in His presence.
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- All to Jesus I surrender;
All to Him I freely give;
I will ever love and trust Him,
In His presence daily live. - All to Jesus I surrender;
Humbly at His feet I bow,
Worldly pleasures all forsaken;
Take me, Jesus, take me now. - Refrain:
I surrender all,
I surrender all;
All to Thee, my blessed Savior,
I surrender all.
- All to Jesus I surrender;
In Christ,
Mike
Mike
Follow the Verse of the Day blog at http://mikesvotd.blogspot.com
Eph 1:7 In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God's grace NIV
Eph 1:7 In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God's grace NIV
1 John 2:14-17The Message (MSG)
13-14 And a second reminder, dear children: You know the Father from personal experience. You veterans know the One who started it all; and you newcomers—such vitality and strength! God's word is so steady in you. Your fellowship with God enables you to gain a victory over the Evil One.
15-17 Don't love the world's ways. Don't love the world's goods. Love of the world squeezes out love for the Father. Practically everything that goes on in the world—wanting your own way, wanting everything for yourself, wanting to appear important—has nothing to do with the Father. It just isolates you from him. The world and all its wanting, wanting, wanting is on the way out—but whoever does what God wants is set for eternity.
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