Skip to main content

In...

                Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, love for the Father[a] 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. (I John 2:15-16)

I have given them your word and the world has hated them, for they are not of the world any more than I am of the world. My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one. They are not of the world, even as I am not of it. (John 17:14-16)

Yesterday’s topic was settling in and living in exile in Babylon. Today’s examines the other side of the coin. God instructed the Israelites to settle in the land and live their lives, but they were to remain Israelites, because if they became Babylonian, they would have no reason to look forward to returning to Israel in 70 years.

In the same way, we are called to live out our lives (roughly 70-80 years) in this world, settling in, building homes and lives, planting gardens, raising families, etc., but we’re to do so without becoming “Babylonian.” We aren’t to love the world. We’re not to let it be the pattern for our behavior. If we become followers of the world, we have no reason to look forward to Heaven.

The challenge is to mesh yesterday’s passage and today’s. We are, as the passage in John 17 suggests, to be in the world but not of it just as Jesus was in the world but not of it. What does that mean? At its most basic, it means that we’re to living according to God’s rules – as provided in Scripture – while living in a world that won’t thank us for the way we live, but will gladly exploit the benefits it can from us. It means we must step into the world – as uncomfortable as that might be – to do the good that we can. We may not perform miracles, but we must be practiced enough at doing good for others that we are willing to be God’s tool for performing a miracle.

Ultimately, being in the world and not of it means connecting more powerfully with our true home – turning our backs on the world’s ways. That’s a painful prospect. For others, it means stepping out into the world and influencing it. That’s just as painful a prospect. I love the idea of finding a nice little place (with a big library, craft room, and garden – life’s essentials) where I don’t have to deal with the world very often, if at all. It’s uncomfortable to step out and act on the world around me. I need to learn how to influence. Others might know how to influence, but be too connected to the world. 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Think About These Things

                 Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. (Philippians 4:8) This passage is a major challenge for me. Like everyone else, I struggle to keep my thoughts from wandering off into the weeds, then wondering what possible benefits those weeds might have… Sigh. But as a writer, I have to delve at least a little into the ignoble, wrong, impure, unlovely, and debased. After all, there’s no story if everything’s just as it should be and everyone’s happy. As Christians, there are times when we need to deal with all the negatives, but that makes it even more important that we practice turning our minds by force of attention to what is noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent, and praiseworthy. It’s just too easy to get stuck in a swamp. With my...
1 comment
Read more

Higher Thoughts

  “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the  Lord . “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts. (Isaiah 55:8-9)           The person with the Spirit makes judgments about all things, but such a person is not subject to merely human judgments,   for, “Who has known the mind of the Lord      so as to instruct him?” But we have the mind of Christ. (I Corinthians 2:15-16) If you read about the ancient gods of the various peoples, you’ll find that they think just like people. In fact, they think just like the sort of people we really wouldn’t want to be around. They think like the most corrupt Hollywood producer or, like hormone overloaded teens with no upbringing.   It’s embarrassing to read. I have a friend who argues that because God is not just like us, He is so vastly dif...
2 comments
Read more

Pure...

            The goal of this command is love, which comes from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith. (I Timothy 1:5)   I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other! So, because you are lukewarm—neither hot nor cold—I am about to spit you out of my mouth. (Revelation 3:15-16) I’m probably cheating - or mishandling the Bible, but earlier I was thinking about love being pure and purifying. And hatred being pure and purifying. And anger…joy…patience… fear… jealousy… courage…lust… and other strongly felt feelings, attitudes, and beliefs. Today’s verse brings purity and love together, so it’s the verse of the day, but it’s not really the focus. That means my motive for sharing it with you probably isn’t pure. As you read through my list, you   probably thought, “Yeah” about some, and “What’s she on?” about others. But consider how much hatred, a...
Post a Comment
Read more