“Do not love this world nor the things it offers you, for when you love the world, you do not have the love of the Father in you.” (1 John 2:15, NLT)
These three people have something in common. Can you figure out what it is?
Jerry worked hard all his life. He was known to be a shrewd businessman and a wise discerner of trends. Before computers became popular, Jerry already bought stock in Apple. By the time companies were buying web sites, Jerry already owned several. Following the horrors of 9/11/2001, Jerry was well positioned in the stock market. He did well during the economic downturn that followed. However, when Jerry got cancer several years ago, he decided to travel to a special treatment facility in Europe. There, he spent more than $5 million dollars on a long-shot possible cure. When the cancer did not go into remission, he had no heirs to bequeath his wealth. He spent the last six months of his life burning through his great resources. Friends said he used to burn $100 bills for fun, spend $25,000 per night for a place to stay in Fiji. It is said that at a card game, he bet $100,000 per hand just to have the thrill of possibly winning against some other fat cat gamblers. By the time he died, he had less than $2 million to his name. Sources close to Jerry say that he gave away the $2 million dollars to the 100 sex workers he liked the most upon his death.
At the other end of the spectrum, Danny died a poor man. He was so poor that his family had to chip in to pay for funeral expenses. He didn’t have a funeral because his family didn’t want to pay for one. Danny was not a good-for-nothing bum who leeched off his family and friends. On the contrary, Danny had lived on his own since he was sixteen. He was a soldier in Vietnam. He worked for thirty years as a construction worker and security guard. However, Danny burned through his money quickly. He ran up huge gambling debts. He was known to save all year for one big trip to Vegas. There, he stayed at the swankiest hotels and played his favorite poker game for $500 a hand. Danny never had time for a family or for kids. He thought about getting married but never really fell in love. However, he just cherished winning at the casino. It gave him a high that lasted for a long time. Danny’s friends would say that he had a story about many famous people he sat next to or across the poker table. He gambled with Hollywood stars, pro basketball players, several famous politicians, one president, and the list went on and on. People used to sit with Danny for hours at his favorite restaurant while Danny regaled them with stories of his poker bets and famous poker players.
Karen was a beloved mother and friend. She was a frequent churchgoer who had a lot for baking pies for those who lost a loved one and wrote beautiful prayers for her friends. When Karen turned twenty, she married her college sweetheart. When she turned twenty-three, she had her first child. All in all, Karen and Dave had six kids. They lived in a well- kept home complete with two dogs and a white picket fence. However, when Karen turned thirty-seven, her life was turned upside down. Returning from picking up the children from summer camp, Dave was t-boned in a serious auto accident. He and all the children died in a horrific fire that engulfed their car. After the accident, Karen was inconsolable. She refused to have a funeral for the family. She could not face up to what happened. So torturous were her days that she drank herself into oblivion most days and then committed suicide two years after the car accident. In a letter found at her side, Karen admitted that without her family there was no reason for her to go on living.
What do all three of these people have in common? One was religious. Two were not. One was a gambler, one was rich, and one had a somewhat normal life until the accident. They seem to come from different socio-economic groups. They did not live in the same town. You might contend that they were from different worlds, and you’d be right for the most part. However, all three shared one aspect spoken about in the scripture for today. They all had a love for this world that they could not live without. One could not live without his money and refused to die without taking as much as he could with him. Another could not live without his gambling habit. He died poor because he could not give up his addiction. Karen, though religious, could not live without her family. They were her reason for living. Their loss gave depression a chance to steal away Karen’s desire to live. Even though she was a churchgoer, it was her family that she cherished the most and could not bear a life without sharing. God came in a close second place. The prophet Job, who lost almost all his children in a freak accident, chose to keep God a priority. Karen chose otherwise.
The scripture for today warns that you should “not love this world nor the things it offers you.” For many, many people this is a very difficult thing to do. They love their wealth, family, power, status, or privilege. They love their portfolios and relationships more than just about anything else. God is either a second thought, in second place, or far down the line in their values and commitments. How many people committed suicide in the 1920’s rather than live without their money through the Great Depression? How many Japanese people threw themselves off the cliffs rather than face the loss of Iwo Jima to the Americans in 1945? Suicide rates today are on the rise. Alcoholism and addictions are tearing apart families. Narcissism is becoming rampant, especially in social media. Churches are adopting worldly values and ideologies, even incorporating them into worship. On and on, people love things of this world and refuse to lose anything along the way. They have worshipped the things of this world and neglected any call from God. In doing so, their attitude has doomed any relationship with God and soured their hopes of eternal life with a loving Savior.
In a reflection upon today’s verse, John MacArthur wrote:
“Genuine believers love God and reject the world and all its philosophies.
When someone becomes a Christian, he acquires a new set of goals and motivations; the world and its lusts no longer attract but repel him. He no longer loves “the world, nor the things in the world” (v. 15). At times he may be lured into worldly pursuits, but he is doing not what he loves but what he hates (cf. Rom. 7:15). That’s because new life in Christ gives the believer a love for God and the things of God.
Jesus said those who follow Him are not of the world, just as He was not of the world. We still move about in it to do His will, but we are not of it. That’s why Jesus specifically asked the Father to keep us from the evil one (John 17:14–16). We’re vulnerable to being sucked into this evil world’s system now and then, but our love is toward God. That love is what will redirect our focus toward heavenly priorities.
Do you reject the world and its false religions, damning ideologies, and godless pursuits? Instead, do you love God, His truth, His kingdom, and all that He stands for? If you reject the world and its devilish desires, that is a strong indication you have new life in Christ.” (Strength for Today).
Ask God to reveal to today you if some part of you clings to this world. Then, sever those connections. It may sting for a short time, but you will gain so much more by the way of righteous values, graceful priorities, a deep love of God and others, and eternal joy.
Jerry worked hard all his life. He was known to be a shrewd businessman and a wise discerner of trends. Before computers became popular, Jerry already bought stock in Apple. By the time companies were buying web sites, Jerry already owned several. Following the horrors of 9/11/2001, Jerry was well positioned in the stock market. He did well during the economic downturn that followed. However, when Jerry got cancer several years ago, he decided to travel to a special treatment facility in Europe. There, he spent more than $5 million dollars on a long-shot possible cure. When the cancer did not go into remission, he had no heirs to bequeath his wealth. He spent the last six months of his life burning through his great resources. Friends said he used to burn $100 bills for fun, spend $25,000 per night for a place to stay in Fiji. It is said that at a card game, he bet $100,000 per hand just to have the thrill of possibly winning against some other fat cat gamblers. By the time he died, he had less than $2 million to his name. Sources close to Jerry say that he gave away the $2 million dollars to the 100 sex workers he liked the most upon his death.
At the other end of the spectrum, Danny died a poor man. He was so poor that his family had to chip in to pay for funeral expenses. He didn’t have a funeral because his family didn’t want to pay for one. Danny was not a good-for-nothing bum who leeched off his family and friends. On the contrary, Danny had lived on his own since he was sixteen. He was a soldier in Vietnam. He worked for thirty years as a construction worker and security guard. However, Danny burned through his money quickly. He ran up huge gambling debts. He was known to save all year for one big trip to Vegas. There, he stayed at the swankiest hotels and played his favorite poker game for $500 a hand. Danny never had time for a family or for kids. He thought about getting married but never really fell in love. However, he just cherished winning at the casino. It gave him a high that lasted for a long time. Danny’s friends would say that he had a story about many famous people he sat next to or across the poker table. He gambled with Hollywood stars, pro basketball players, several famous politicians, one president, and the list went on and on. People used to sit with Danny for hours at his favorite restaurant while Danny regaled them with stories of his poker bets and famous poker players.
Karen was a beloved mother and friend. She was a frequent churchgoer who had a lot for baking pies for those who lost a loved one and wrote beautiful prayers for her friends. When Karen turned twenty, she married her college sweetheart. When she turned twenty-three, she had her first child. All in all, Karen and Dave had six kids. They lived in a well- kept home complete with two dogs and a white picket fence. However, when Karen turned thirty-seven, her life was turned upside down. Returning from picking up the children from summer camp, Dave was t-boned in a serious auto accident. He and all the children died in a horrific fire that engulfed their car. After the accident, Karen was inconsolable. She refused to have a funeral for the family. She could not face up to what happened. So torturous were her days that she drank herself into oblivion most days and then committed suicide two years after the car accident. In a letter found at her side, Karen admitted that without her family there was no reason for her to go on living.
What do all three of these people have in common? One was religious. Two were not. One was a gambler, one was rich, and one had a somewhat normal life until the accident. They seem to come from different socio-economic groups. They did not live in the same town. You might contend that they were from different worlds, and you’d be right for the most part. However, all three shared one aspect spoken about in the scripture for today. They all had a love for this world that they could not live without. One could not live without his money and refused to die without taking as much as he could with him. Another could not live without his gambling habit. He died poor because he could not give up his addiction. Karen, though religious, could not live without her family. They were her reason for living. Their loss gave depression a chance to steal away Karen’s desire to live. Even though she was a churchgoer, it was her family that she cherished the most and could not bear a life without sharing. God came in a close second place. The prophet Job, who lost almost all his children in a freak accident, chose to keep God a priority. Karen chose otherwise.
The scripture for today warns that you should “not love this world nor the things it offers you.” For many, many people this is a very difficult thing to do. They love their wealth, family, power, status, or privilege. They love their portfolios and relationships more than just about anything else. God is either a second thought, in second place, or far down the line in their values and commitments. How many people committed suicide in the 1920’s rather than live without their money through the Great Depression? How many Japanese people threw themselves off the cliffs rather than face the loss of Iwo Jima to the Americans in 1945? Suicide rates today are on the rise. Alcoholism and addictions are tearing apart families. Narcissism is becoming rampant, especially in social media. Churches are adopting worldly values and ideologies, even incorporating them into worship. On and on, people love things of this world and refuse to lose anything along the way. They have worshipped the things of this world and neglected any call from God. In doing so, their attitude has doomed any relationship with God and soured their hopes of eternal life with a loving Savior.
In a reflection upon today’s verse, John MacArthur wrote:
“Genuine believers love God and reject the world and all its philosophies.
When someone becomes a Christian, he acquires a new set of goals and motivations; the world and its lusts no longer attract but repel him. He no longer loves “the world, nor the things in the world” (v. 15). At times he may be lured into worldly pursuits, but he is doing not what he loves but what he hates (cf. Rom. 7:15). That’s because new life in Christ gives the believer a love for God and the things of God.
Jesus said those who follow Him are not of the world, just as He was not of the world. We still move about in it to do His will, but we are not of it. That’s why Jesus specifically asked the Father to keep us from the evil one (John 17:14–16). We’re vulnerable to being sucked into this evil world’s system now and then, but our love is toward God. That love is what will redirect our focus toward heavenly priorities.
Do you reject the world and its false religions, damning ideologies, and godless pursuits? Instead, do you love God, His truth, His kingdom, and all that He stands for? If you reject the world and its devilish desires, that is a strong indication you have new life in Christ.” (Strength for Today).
Ask God to reveal to today you if some part of you clings to this world. Then, sever those connections. It may sting for a short time, but you will gain so much more by the way of righteous values, graceful priorities, a deep love of God and others, and eternal joy.