Do I Love the World?
Or anything of the world?
Verse of the Day
“Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, love for the Father is not in them.”
Today’s Devotional
It’s very easy for me to read a verse like this and think, “I don’t love the world, I love God. So I’m good.” But…
It should make me pause. It’s easy to say that I don’t love adultery, lying, theft, cruelty, worshipping idols, sexual deviance, drunkenness, murder and the like. But the Bible says that the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil. (1 Tim 6:10) Do I love money? Ummmm, yes. I love having enough money so that I don’t have to worry. The Bible also says that pride goes before destruction. (Prov 16:18) Do I struggle with pride? Yes. I struggle with my position in my world and how others think of me. I struggle with where I fit into the world. I struggle with being enough. If I’m honest, those are all forms of pride.
So how do we live in a world that we are not supposed to love?
Let’s go back to my money example. There’s a key phrase that my brain landed on from what I wrote: “so that I don’t have to worry.” There is this assumption that if I have enough money to cover my bills and to buy food with a little left over, then there’s no need to worry. But doesn’t Jesus say “do not worry, saying, ‘what shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the pagans run after all these things, and your Heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself.” (Matt. 6:31-34). Ok…so how do I do that? Hebrews 13:5 says “Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, ‘Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.’”
So my answer is contentment and remembering who God is and what He has promised. I have to choose to use money without being bound by it. And I do that by being content and grateful. Constantly. Contentment comes from a constant habit of gratitude. The more time I spend in the Word, the more I will remember who God is and I will be reminded of His promises.
Here’s the deal: we have to live in a broken, messy world. Every day. And we all struggle with a constant battle of our brain and its focus. We also struggle with what we choose to value. Is my focus on the world, its struggles, the opinions of others, and my comfort? Or am I focused on God, His promises and His presence in my daily life? Every moment we have the choice to redirect our focus back to God and away from the stress, worry, and brokenness.
Journal Prompts
Answer only the questions that seem relevant to you today.
How do you think you are guilty of loving the world?
How content are you in the midst of the mess?
How can you redirect your mind today to focus on God and His promises?
How can you choose contentment today? (Hint: gratitude…..)
Which promise of God do you need to cling to today? Maybe write it down and carry it with you today.
How can you use the things of this world without being bound by them?