Do Not Love the World

Why are we so stupid? Our enemy, the devil, never changes his tactics, never offers up any new temptations but we fall for them over and over again.

In 1 John 2:15-17, the apostle John tells us "Do not love the world or the things in the world...the desires of the flesh, the desires of the eyes and the pride in possessions [are] not from the Father but [are] from the world."

In Genesis 3:6 we read about Eve and the temptation to eat from the tree God had forbidden. God had provided all Adam and Eve would need, but "when [she] saw that the tree was good for food (desires of the flesh), and that it was a delight to the eyes (desires of the eyes), and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise"(pride in possessions) she turned her back on all the good things God had provided and sinned against God by doing what He had specifically forbidden causing a break in their relationship.

In Matthew 4 we read of the temptation of Jesus. The tempter came to Him after Jesus had been fasting for forty days and forty nights and he was hungry. So he tells Jesus, you're hungry turn these stones to bread to satisfy your hunger (desires of the flesh) which Jesus countered with scripture.

Next he takes Jesus to the very top of the temple (where He looks out over Jerusalem - desires of the eyes) and dares Him to throw Himself off and let the angels rescue Him. Jesus again responds with scripture.

The third temptation took place on a very high mountain where Satan said You can have all this (pride in possessions) if You will just worship me. Finally Jesus said, "Be gone, Satan! For it is written you shall worship the Lord your God and Him only shall you serve."

The world is the domain of our enemy so why do we, as Christians whose home is NOT in this world, get so caught up in all the things of this world? We allow him to entice us over and over again with things that do not last.

I need to emulate Jesus and know the word of God and the truth He speaks to me about how to live and who I really am if I have given my life to Christ. I am a child of the King of Kings, the Creator of the universe who will provide all I need. The real temptation comes when I want stuff, people, things, position, and/or recognition more than I want my relationship with Jesus.