1 John 2:15 Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.
Now that’s the gospel truth Friends. If we love the world, the LOVE of God is not in us. The world being the evil, the sin, the wickedness and ungodliness that makes up so much of human existence. ‘For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.’ (vs.16) James also warns; ‘know ye not that friendship of the world is enmity with God? whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world, is the enemy of God.’ (4:4) And Friends, we definitely don’t want to be God’s enemy, for that means certain death and eternal damnation. But because of our inherent sinful nature, it’s difficult to forego those temptations that the world offers; ‘the lust of the flesh,’ physical desires; ‘the lust of the eyes,’ personal desires; and ‘the pride of life,’ self-interests. All of these add up to immorality, greed, envy, selfishness, strife, anger and the host of negatives that are not a part of God’s arsenal, which is based on that magic formula called LOVE. Logically then, one cannot in fact LOVE the world, because the things of the world are not found in the process termed LOVE. But one can wish for and aspire to these things. Or as Bruh Paul says in Romans 12:2; ‘And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed, by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good and acceptable, and perfect will of God.’ Yes Friends, we can conform or be transformed, but it all boils down to a mind thing; we have to make a conscious decision to follow the dictates of God, rather than the tempting temptations of the world. Resisting the world is not easy people, but if we want to be in right standing with God, we’ve just got to buckle down and do it. I heard a song by the Jamaica group, Morgan Heritage, last night, which says what we need is LOVE, so that we can grow more LOVE. And it’s true. The only way to increase the LOVE in the world is to get more, so that we can grow even more. But it’s like the chicken and the egg controversy: Where do we get it from to begin with, so that we can grow and increase it? Only by more of us being transformed, my people, by the renewing of our minds and souls in faith, and adhering to the Lord’s principles. If we want to experience and increase the miracle that’s LOVE, we’ve got to get more in tune with God, who is the embodiment of LOVE. Wow! What words of wisdom! (smile) But seriously though Friends, we need to reduce our dependence on, and lust for the wicked things of our world. Even those who don’t necessarily want to get right with the Lord (not wise) should withdraw from too much involvement in the affairs of the enemy, for it’s fraught with danger, death and eternal darkness. It’s like been in a spider’s web or a maze; after a while you lose all sense of direction, don’t know which way to turn, you’re lost. Or else you’re tied up so skilfully in knots, unless you’re Houdini, it’s almost impossible to escape. But Friends, with the help of Jesus, anything is possible, that’s why we need Him so desperately in our lives. One last word of caution; remember ‘the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God, abideth forever.’ (vs.17). So I’d strongly suggest, if we want to experience eternity, to stop loving…no, stop conforming to the wicked ways of man, and start basking in the light of God’s LOVE. Till next time. Much LOVE!…the world dies…but Jesus lives forever…
Now that’s the gospel truth Friends. If we love the world, the LOVE of God is not in us. The world being the evil, the sin, the wickedness and ungodliness that makes up so much of human existence. ‘For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.’ (vs.16) James also warns; ‘know ye not that friendship of the world is enmity with God? whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world, is the enemy of God.’ (4:4) And Friends, we definitely don’t want to be God’s enemy, for that means certain death and eternal damnation. But because of our inherent sinful nature, it’s difficult to forego those temptations that the world offers; ‘the lust of the flesh,’ physical desires; ‘the lust of the eyes,’ personal desires; and ‘the pride of life,’ self-interests. All of these add up to immorality, greed, envy, selfishness, strife, anger and the host of negatives that are not a part of God’s arsenal, which is based on that magic formula called LOVE. Logically then, one cannot in fact LOVE the world, because the things of the world are not found in the process termed LOVE. But one can wish for and aspire to these things. Or as Bruh Paul says in Romans 12:2; ‘And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed, by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good and acceptable, and perfect will of God.’ Yes Friends, we can conform or be transformed, but it all boils down to a mind thing; we have to make a conscious decision to follow the dictates of God, rather than the tempting temptations of the world. Resisting the world is not easy people, but if we want to be in right standing with God, we’ve just got to buckle down and do it. I heard a song by the Jamaica group, Morgan Heritage, last night, which says what we need is LOVE, so that we can grow more LOVE. And it’s true. The only way to increase the LOVE in the world is to get more, so that we can grow even more. But it’s like the chicken and the egg controversy: Where do we get it from to begin with, so that we can grow and increase it? Only by more of us being transformed, my people, by the renewing of our minds and souls in faith, and adhering to the Lord’s principles. If we want to experience and increase the miracle that’s LOVE, we’ve got to get more in tune with God, who is the embodiment of LOVE. Wow! What words of wisdom! (smile) But seriously though Friends, we need to reduce our dependence on, and lust for the wicked things of our world. Even those who don’t necessarily want to get right with the Lord (not wise) should withdraw from too much involvement in the affairs of the enemy, for it’s fraught with danger, death and eternal darkness. It’s like been in a spider’s web or a maze; after a while you lose all sense of direction, don’t know which way to turn, you’re lost. Or else you’re tied up so skilfully in knots, unless you’re Houdini, it’s almost impossible to escape. But Friends, with the help of Jesus, anything is possible, that’s why we need Him so desperately in our lives. One last word of caution; remember ‘the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God, abideth forever.’ (vs.17). So I’d strongly suggest, if we want to experience eternity, to stop loving…no, stop conforming to the wicked ways of man, and start basking in the light of God’s LOVE. Till next time. Much LOVE!…the world dies…but Jesus lives forever…
SCRIP-BITS 