Today’s world wants so much from you—and it wants it at the cost of your soul. Not to sound all doom and gloom, but this is a real reality that we want to talk about today. Let’s get into it!
“Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, love for the Father is not in them. For everything in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—comes not from the Father but from the world. The world and its desires pass away, but whoever does the will of God lives forever.” – 1 John 2:15
While every part of this passage is important, the last verse is where we want to start. Everything of this world and the desires of this world are temporary. They lie to tell you that things like pride, social clout, money, sex, status, etc. are what you need and that they will last forever. As believers, we know that all we need is Jesus. Period.
That said, the world is one of the best salesmen in history. Through the media, social media, and even some other dating apps, the world makes an incredible case for how you should approach love and dating. And while this case is well articulated and tempting—it’s flat our wrong.
The problem, though, is that the lines between what God wants for you and what the world wants for you are starting to blur. The goal posts are being shifted. As this happens, new Christians start to do things that are of this world thinking that they’re doing what God wants. It’s a slow slide that has been happening for years and is starting to accelerate thanks to technology and social media.
Here’s an example. God wants us to find a spouse based on their spiritual qualities, not sex appeal or things that fade. However, the world tells you that if you want to get a man or get a woman, you better look good and you better be prepared to show that off with scantily clad outfits, seductive photos, and temptation-filled social media posts.
In years past, the line here was crystal clear. Christians knew the difference. However, it’s started to get gray. Here’s an example. At Higher Bond, we take a strict stance on the types of photos that members can upload. No excessive cleavage, no seductive photos, no shirt-off photos, no bikini photos, etc. However, we are the minority. Most Christian dating apps allow these types of photos.
We don’t say this to put down other apps or to prop ourselves up. We say it because it’s one of the most tangible examples of this erosion of morals happening. But sadly, it’s just the tip of the iceberg.
In our text today, we’re encouraged to not love the things of this world. None of these sinful things come from the Father. Instead, we’re encouraged to do the will of God—and we will live forever.
📝 Here’s Some Reflection Questions:
- Are there areas of your life that may be leaning too far toward this world?
- Have you seen any areas of your life eroding to be more aligned with the desires and temptations of this world?
- Are there things you can do on a bigger scale to help stop the slide in the Church as a whole?
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