There is a strong force that constantly tugs at our flesh. The world draws us to itself, promising a life of contentment where none exists. It is what creates the ruinous rift between mankind and God.
Solomon concluded that there is no respite for people who seek to live independently from their Creator ... I have seen all the works which have been done under the sun, and behold, all is vanity, a futile grasping and chasing after the wind. (Ecclesiastes 1:14)
This lost and dying world was never meant to be your home. Scripture warns against laying anchor here ... Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. (1 John 2:15)
John Calvin - The mind of a Christian ought not to be filled with thoughts of earthly things, or find satisfaction in them, for we ought to be living as if we might have to leave this world at any moment.
Temptation rules this realm ... For all that is in the world - the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life - is not of the Father. (1 John 2:16)
- The 'lust of the flesh' is the desire to DO something apart from the will of God.
- The 'lust of the eyes' is the desire to HAVE something apart from the will of God.
- The 'pride of life' is the desire to BE something apart from the will of God.
The first appeals to your body, the second to your soul, and the third to your spirit.
Worldliness is the 'horizontal' existence of everyone who rejects the Lord. In contrast, the life of a believer is 'vertical' by nature ... this is the victory that has overcome the world: our faith. (1John 5:4)
If you treasure anything more than Jesus Christ, your soul needs this revelation ... the world can't help when your plans fall apart, your health fails, and death beckons.
Hope is found in Him alone.
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