Do not love this world nor the things it offers you, for when you love the world, you do not have the love of the Father in you. 1 John 2:15
Complacency gets the best of us sometimes, doesn't it? If we are not careful, it will take away our drive, motivation, and discipline. It can often keep us from missing out on so much joy in our lives. It is particularly dangerous in our lives when it comes to our faith. You see, sometimes complacency causes us to minimize sin, and not take its dangers as seriously as we should. While we may not engage in it, we may not actually have the hatred for sin that it deserves. The truth is that sin is serious, and followers of Christ are called to hate sin, as it is the very thing that causes separation between God and humanity.
John warns followers of Christ to take sin seriously in the book of 1 John. "Do not love this world nor the things it offers you, for when you love the world, you do not have the love of the father in you" (1 John 2:15). In other words, John writes for followers of Christ to let go of affection for worldly things, things that are not of Christ. He calls us to live this way because, if we follow Him, we are called to align our love and affection for the things of Christ.
John's instruction in these verses means that we refuse to tolerate sin. It means that we let go of complacency and stop viewing certain sins as worse than others because all sin has separated us from God. After all, until we stop tolerating sin in our own lives and around us, we are not likely to do anything to make a change.
When you think about your own life, do you find yourself still holding on to parts of the world, living complacently, and tolerating sin? It's time to let go of complacency. It is the time to view sin as what it is: a disease that separates us from God. Let's let go of this world and pursue Him with everything we have.
Have you found yourself living complacently when it comes to sin? Have you found yourself minimizing sin rather than hating the sin that you see in the world. My friend, take some time right now to go on a walk and pray. Spend some time confessing to God that you have not taken sin as seriously as it deserved to be treated, and apologize. Then, ask God to give you a distain for sin and everything it offers.
Read 1 John 2:12-17 (NLT)
I am writing to you who are God’s children because your sins have been forgiven through Jesus.I am writing to you who are mature in the faith because you know Christ, who existed from the beginning.I am writing to you who are young in the faith because you have won your battle with the evil one.I have written to you who are God’s children because you know the Father.I have written to you who are mature in the faith because you know Christ, who existed from the beginning.I have written to you who are young in the faith because you are strong.God’s word lives in your hearts, and you have won your battle with the evil one.
Do not love this world nor the things it offers you, for when you love the world, you do not have the love of the Father in you. For the world offers only a craving for physical pleasure, a craving for everything we see, and pride in our achievements and possessions. These are not from the Father, but are from this world. And this world is fading away, along with everything that people crave. But anyone who does what pleases God will live forever.
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