1 John 2:15–16 (KJV 1900)

Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. 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.

Matthew 24:12 KJV 1900

And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold.

Love Never Fails

John 14:15 (KJV 1900)

If ye love me, keep my commandments.

The Berean Literal Bible, American Standard Bible, NASB, Amplifed Bible, Holman Christian Bible, American Standard, NET Bible, New Heart English Bible, Weymouth New Testament, Good News Transalation.

All say you will keep or you will obey...

Not loving the world does not mean we should not love the people in the world; God clearly commands us to love everyone in the world, including our enemies.

Not loving the world does not mean that we are not to enjoy or utilize the good gifts that God has given us in the world.

We need to understand that it is not the created world itself that is sinful, but the rebellious anti-God system of the world.

The spirit of this world which comes from the god of this world (Satan) is set against God and His ways.

John makes it clear specifically what he is referring to when he forbids us from loving the world; namely, the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life. All of these attitudes are sinful and rebellious against God and His will for us.

The lust of the flesh includes sin such as sexual immorality, gluttony, and other indulgences. The lust of the eyes is the root of covetousness. It is the greedy desire for the material riches and possessions of this world. Finally, the pride of life is boasting of ambition and achievement, a thirst for the honor bestowed by and the applause received from the world. The pride of life leads to boasting about what we have or do. Jesus was tempted by Satan in all three of these areas and was victorious over each one.

Wouldn’t It Be Great?

Wouldn’t it be great if I won a million dollars? Well, maybe it wouldn’t be so great. Not everyone has the same idea of a great time. One person’s wish may be another’s nightmare.

Take, for example, the story of three men who were sailing together in the Pacific Ocean. Their vessel was wrecked and they found themselves on an island. They had plenty of food, but their existence was in every way different from what their lives had been in the past. The men were walking by the seashore one day after they had been there for some months and found an ancient lantern. One man picked it up. As he began to rub it and clean it, a genie popped out and said, “Well, since you have been good enough to release me, I will give each of you one wish.”

The first man said, “Oh, that’s perfectly marvelous. I’m a cattleman from Wyoming and I wish I were back on my ranch.” Poof! He was back on his ranch.

The second man said, “Well, I’m a stockbroker from New York, and I wish that I were back in Manhattan.” Poof! He was back in Manhattan with his papers, his telephones, his clients and his computers.

The third fellow was somewhat more relaxed about life and actually had rather enjoyed life there on the island. He said, “Well, I am quite happy here. I just wish my two friends were back.” Poof! Poof! Everybody’s idea of a “great time” isn’t the same!

So is it true? Are many Americans sitting around wishing, “Now wouldn’t it be great …if I won the lottery…if I had my dream house…if I was famous….”

As Christians…as the people of God…what if instead of wishing for money or fame or success or more “things,” we could just as earnestly wish with all our hearts and souls and minds and strength that we could love the Lord our God and love our neighbor as ourselves?

Cain And Abel

Genesis 4:7 KJV 1900

If thou doest well, shalt thou not be accepted? and if thou doest not well, sin lieth at the door. And unto thee shall be his desire, and thou shalt rule over him.

Both men saw things a little different, but who was right when the dust settle. Love will never fail...

Instead of keeping our heart stayed on Jesus, we sometime wander and allow our thoughts to dictate our actions.

Full Devotion to God

In the days of the circuit riders a minister was out riding one afternoon and came upon a man out working in his field. “Fine day isn’t it?” the minister called out. “Its fine for you”, the man replied, “All you have to do is ride around on that horse thinking about God all day long, while I have to sweat here in this field and then walk home afterward. I don’t think it is right you should have things so easy while I have to work so hard.” “On the contrary”, the minister answered, “thinking about God is one of the most difficult things you can do.  And to prove it, I’ll give you this horse if you can think about God and nothing else for one minute.” “You’re on,” said the man and immediately he sat down in silence.  Thirty seconds later he looked up at the minister, and said, “Does that include the saddle?”

Do we love from our hearts?

Jesus said if you love me you will keep my commandments.

Loving out of Obligation

A rabbi was asked, “Which act of charity is higher–giving out of obligation or giving from the heart?” All in the class were inclined to respond that giving from the heart had something more in it, but they knew the rabbi was going to say just the opposite, because in spiritual teaching nothing is logical. They were not disappointed. “Giving from the heart is a wonderful thing,” the rabbi said, “It is a very high act and should never be demeaned. But there is something much more important that happens when somebody gives charity out of obligation. “Consider who is doing the giving. When somebody gives from the heart, there is a clear sense of oneself doing something; in other words, heartfelt charity always involves ego gratification. “However, when we give out of obligation, when we give at a moment that every part of us is yelling NO! because of one reason or another–perhaps the beneficiary is disgusting, or it is too much money, or any of thousands of reasons we use to avoid giving charity–then we are confronting our own egos, and giving nonetheless. Why? Because we are supposed to. And what this means is that it is not us doing the giving, rather we are vehicles through which God gives…

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Romans 5:5 KJV 1900

And hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us.

Chip It Away

There is a story about a man who had a huge boulder in his front yard. He grew weary of this big, unattractive stone in the center of his lawn, so he decided to take advantage of it and turn it into an object of art. He went to work on it with hammer and chisel, and chipped away at the huge boulder until it became a beautiful stone elephant. When he finished, it was gorgeous, breath-taking. A neighbor asked, “How did you ever carve such a marvelous likeness of an elephant?” The man answered, “I just chipped away everything that didn’t look like an elephant!” If you have anything in your life right now that doesn’t look like love, then, with the help of God, chip it away! If you have anything in your life that doesn’t look like compassion or mercy or empathy, then, with the help of God, chip it away! If you have hatred or prejudice or vengeance or envy in your heart, for God’s sake, and the for the other person’s sake, and for your sake, get rid of it! Let God chip everything out of your life that doesn’t look like tenderheartedness.