Verse: 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.
Devotion
I think this is a hard verse for anybody who lives in the world. Because there’s a lot of good stuff in the world. I mean there’s amazing food, and beautiful places, art and music and films, and animals and sunsets and gorgeous craftsmanship and phosphorescence! And don’t get me started on babies and grown up humans with senses of humor and best friends. I don’t think that we are called to not enjoy or appreciate the world, rather to keep a healthy perspective on what truly matters, what we really love, on what we set our hearts. What are the things that give our lives meaning? What are we building with our lives, and who is it for?
What makes your day a good day? How do I measure a productive or accomplished or exciting day? What goal am I working toward? Am I driven by an idea or some kind of level-up? These verses make very plain what it is that should drive us. So if it isn’t the love of our Father and doing his will, then we are off track. It’s really as simple as that.
Now, I do think that creation is here for us to take care of and appreciate, absolutely. And it can bring us joy for sure. But it’s not the end goal, and it won’t last. And we are called to always have in our hearts that we were made for more than just this. We are eternal beings in a temporary world, and we’re not supposed to attach ourselves too tightly. So this is a reminder that there is more for us than the things that are right before our eyes. It matters very much that we don’t forget the things that are of eternal value. The way we treat one another, our fellow eternal beings, that lasts. The prayers that we pray, the relationships that we invest in, the way we allocate our time and resources. We should be making choices and taking steps that bring us closer to the God who loves us so dearly.
Prayer
Lord it’s hard for me to see beyond the material things in front of me - I am so easily distracted and misdirected. Help me to love you better, and live out of the overflow of your love for me.
Guest Author: Emily Costa