“Do not love the world, nor the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him” (1 John 2:15).
The world is opposed to everything God stands for.
Loving the world begins with thinking that God doesn’t know what’s best for you and is trying to cheat you out of something you deserve. That thought soon blossoms into a willingness to disregard God’s warnings altogether and take whatever Satan has to offer.
Love of the world started in the Garden of Eden and continues to this day. Genesis 3:6 says, “When the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was desirable to make one wise, she took from its fruit and ate; and she gave also to her husband with her, and he ate.” What made them think the fruit was good for food or able to make them wise? God didn’t tell them that. In fact, He warned them that they would die if they ate the fruit (Gen. 2:17). But Eve believed the serpent’s lie and Adam followed suit.
Satan continues to propagate his lies but you needn’t fall prey to them if you love God and remember that the world is opposed to everything He stands for. It is spiritually dead; void of the Spirit (John 14:17); morally defiled; and dominated by pride, greed, and evil desires. It produces wrong opinions, selfish aims, sinful pleasures, demoralizing influences, corrupt politics, empty honors, and fickle love.
You can’t love the world and God at the same time because love knows no rivals. It gives its object first place. If you love God, He will have first place in your life. If you love the world, the love of the Father isn’t in you (1 John 2:15).
Galatians 1:3-5 explains that Jesus says that “gave Himself for our sins, that He might deliver us out of this present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father, to whom be the glory forevermore.” Christ died to deliver us from Satan’s evil system. What greater motivation could there be to reject the world and live to God’s glory?
00Wafiq Harris-Ashbyhttp://www.hoperoadnazarene.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/hrn-logo-520x140-1.pngWafiq Harris-Ashby2017-09-11 09:30:032017-09-11 09:30:03"Rejecting the World"
“Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. Share with the Lord’s people who are in need. Practice hospitality.” — Romans 12:12-13
Paul knew that the more we concentrate on helping others, the less we will center our thoughts on ourselves. It should give us extreme joy that as we share hope with others, we are demonstrating our hope in the Lord. Jesus describes in Mathew 25:40 “I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.”
Prayer: Father, thank you for giving us the ability to be joyful in all circumstances through our incredible hope in you. Empower us to share our hope with others today.
00Wafiq Harris-Ashbyhttp://www.hoperoadnazarene.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/hrn-logo-520x140-1.pngWafiq Harris-Ashby2017-09-08 08:22:382017-09-08 08:22:38Joyful Through Hope
“His divine power has given us everything we need for godly life, through our knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and goodness” — 2 Peter 1:3
Godly living is life in both the natural and the supernatural; and we will always have things thrown at us which we will need to overcome in this life. However, to each obstacle and situation faced, God our Father has given us everything we need to overcome. Therefore, failure is not in God but in us. We ought to use our experiential knowledge of who God is, and what He has done in the past to drive us to desire to overcome in the present and the future.
00Wafiq Harris-Ashbyhttp://www.hoperoadnazarene.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/hrn-logo-520x140-1.pngWafiq Harris-Ashby2017-09-07 08:19:502017-09-07 08:19:50Godly Living
"Rejecting the World"
/in Steadfast Hope“Do not love the world, nor the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him” (1 John 2:15).
The world is opposed to everything God stands for.
Loving the world begins with thinking that God doesn’t know what’s best for you and is trying to cheat you out of something you deserve. That thought soon blossoms into a willingness to disregard God’s warnings altogether and take whatever Satan has to offer.
Love of the world started in the Garden of Eden and continues to this day. Genesis 3:6 says, “When the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was desirable to make one wise, she took from its fruit and ate; and she gave also to her husband with her, and he ate.” What made them think the fruit was good for food or able to make them wise? God didn’t tell them that. In fact, He warned them that they would die if they ate the fruit (Gen. 2:17). But Eve believed the serpent’s lie and Adam followed suit.
Satan continues to propagate his lies but you needn’t fall prey to them if you love God and remember that the world is opposed to everything He stands for. It is spiritually dead; void of the Spirit (John 14:17); morally defiled; and dominated by pride, greed, and evil desires. It produces wrong opinions, selfish aims, sinful pleasures, demoralizing influences, corrupt politics, empty honors, and fickle love.
You can’t love the world and God at the same time because love knows no rivals. It gives its object first place. If you love God, He will have first place in your life. If you love the world, the love of the Father isn’t in you (1 John 2:15).
Galatians 1:3-5 explains that Jesus says that “gave Himself for our sins, that He might deliver us out of this present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father, to whom be the glory forevermore.” Christ died to deliver us from Satan’s evil system. What greater motivation could there be to reject the world and live to God’s glory?
Joyful Through Hope
/in Steadfast Hope“Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. Share with the Lord’s people who are in need. Practice hospitality.” — Romans 12:12-13
Paul knew that the more we concentrate on helping others, the less we will center our thoughts on ourselves. It should give us extreme joy that as we share hope with others, we are demonstrating our hope in the Lord. Jesus describes in Mathew 25:40 “I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.”
Prayer: Father, thank you for giving us the ability to be joyful in all circumstances through our incredible hope in you. Empower us to share our hope with others today.
Godly Living
/in Steadfast Hope“His divine power has given us everything we need for godly life, through our knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and goodness” — 2 Peter 1:3
Godly living is life in both the natural and the supernatural; and we will always have things thrown at us which we will need to overcome in this life. However, to each obstacle and situation faced, God our Father has given us everything we need to overcome. Therefore, failure is not in God but in us. We ought to use our experiential knowledge of who God is, and what He has done in the past to drive us to desire to overcome in the present and the future.