In 1 John 2:15-17, it is written that if you love the world and the things that are in the world; the lust of the flesh and the eyes, and the pride of life, then the love of God the Father, is not in you. The fruit love is a self-sacrificial love that you possess by the Father; by His Holy Spirit, Who lives inside of you. When you bear the fruit of love, you will be able to love God above all and love your neighbour as yourself. If you walk after the Spirit, then you possess this self-sacrificial love and your love will go out to God instead of the world. But you will have to choose whom you will serve.
Love not the world neither the things that are in the world
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. And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever (1 John 2:15-17)
Before you became born again, you were the old creation and you lived after the flesh and loved the world and everything that’s in the world. You belonged to the world and the Adamic nature, and therefore you lived like the world. You lived in darkness; in sins and iniquities, under the yoke of the devil. You were the devil’s slave; a son of the devil and you listened to the devil and obeyed him. You did all the things, that you wanted to do and what pleased and satisfied you and your flesh.
You were led and ruled by your senses, feelings, emotions, thoughts, lusts, and desires and were a slave to them. They ruled in your life as king and you obeyed them. You lived after the flesh in darkness and didn’t know any better then living that way.
Choose this day whom you will serve
Until Jesus; the Light, came into your life and exposed to you your spiritual state of life. Jesus showed you, that you were living in darkness, in sins and iniquities, and wasn’t free at all, but you were bounded by the devil.
When Jesus confronted you with your sins and your sinful nature, you had a choice, to keep living in the kingdom of darkness, and continue living the life, you lived, or to step out of that kingdom, and step into another kingdom: God’s Kingdom.
When you decided to step into the Kingdom of God, you decided, that you didn’t want to live in darkness anymore. You didn’t want to be led by your carnal sinful nature and live like the world.
You hated the things, which you did in the flesh and you hated your life in the world. You were ashamed of the things you did and therefore you repented of your life.
You were cleansed of all your sins and iniquities, by the blood of Jesus and were reconciled to God.
God became your new Father and you became God’s son (this applies to both males and females). You received His nature by the baptism with the Holy Spirit. You were born again in the spirit and could start over again, but not after the flesh, but after the Spirit; obeying God, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit instead of the devil. Walking in the will of the Father; in righteousness and holiness, instead of walking in the will of the devil; in sins and iniquities (Read also: ‘Thy will be done in earth as it is in heaven‘ and ‘The will of God vs the will of the devil’).
Becoming a new creation, but living as the old creation
This is how it should be. But unfortunately, what often happens is, that when people, repent and become born again, they keep living just like the world. They keep living the same way, as they lived before they repented of their sins. There is hardly any change in their lives. Well, the only thing that has changed is that they go to church and occasionally read the Bible and pray. But there’s hardly any change in their walk and talk. Why is that?
John provides us the answer, John wrote that if you love the world, that the love of the Father is not in you. Wow, those are hard words! Aren’t they?
But John is right. When you love God above all, then you will listen to Him, and obey Him. You will obey His words and keep God’s commandments, and walk in His will instead of obeying the words of the wild and keeping the commandments of the devil and walking in his will. When you have become a new creation; a son of God, you will live as the new creation, and not as the old creation anymore (Read also: ‘Put on the new man’, ‘Who is the old man?‘ and ‘The commandments of God and the commandments of the devil’)
There’s no grey area
There is no grey area, it’s either black or white. It is not possible to walk with one foot in the world and with the other in the Kingdom of God. You can’t have two fathers, you can’t serve two kings. Therefore you have to make a choice, about whom you will serve. Jesus or the devil?
If you are a born again Christian; born of the Spirit of God, but live the same way as the world, as the old carnal man, and are ruled by your flesh, then there is something not quite right.
When there’s no difference between your life as a believer of Jesus Christ and an unbeliever, then something has to change.
Stop considering the world precious
Stop considering the world precious with the result that you love it, and the things in the world. If anyone as a habit of life is considering the world precious and is therefore loving it, there does not exist the Father’s love [i.e., the love possessed by the Father] in him. Because everything which is in the world, the passionate desire of the flesh [the totally depraved nature], and the passionate desire of the eyes, and the insolent and empty assurance which trusts in the things that serve the creature life, is not from the Father as a source but is from the world as a source. And the world is being caused to pass away, and its passionate desire. But the one who keeps on habitually doing the will of God abides forever (1 John 2:15-17 KW)
In the Kenneth Wuest translation, we read that John wrote and commanded, that you should stop considering the things in the world as precious.
Stop being led by your passionate desire of the flesh and the passionate desire of your eyes and stop relying on those things, that serve the creature’s life.
When you are led by your flesh and rely on the things, which are in the world and of the world and consider them precious, then your source is the world and not God.
You can say that God is your Source, but your actions speak louder than your words.
If you stop considering the world precious and habitually doing the will of the Father, by walking in His commandments and representing and bringing His Kingdom on this earth, then you show that you love Him and that He is your Source and His love shall abide in you.
When you listen to Him, obey Him, and please Him, then you will show that you love God with all your heart, mind, and soul. You will show Him, that you consider Him and the things of the Kingdom of God as precious.
Choose whom you will serve
You have been given a free will to make choices in your life. We all know, that you can’t serve two masters, it is one or the other. Therefore make a choice today, and choose whom you will serve
‘Be the salt of the earth’
