The three worldly desires (Part 2)

And the world is passing away, and the lust of it; but he who does the will of God abides forever.” 1 John 2:17

Worldly desires are driven by passion for bodily and soulish pleasure and pride in possessions. The notion of lust is not exclusive to illicit sexual pleasures such as pornography; we can also lust for gourmet foods, owning a big house, being successful and looking good in front of others.

In verse 15, John commands "do not love the world or the things in the world.” He continues to give compelling reasons for not loving the world, "If anyone loves the world, the love o the father is not in us" . Similar to Jesus's teaching, we cannot serve two masters. There can be no neutrality when it comes to love. As if an adulterous man were to tell his mistress, “I love you, but I also love my wife too.” That is clearly not love, but lust.  Therefore, it is impossible to love the world and God simultaneously, as the world pushes out God's love because they cannot coexist. 

Moreover, John says that “the world is passing away, as well as the lust of it ”. Like a passing shadow, when we set our hearts on things that will perish, we will end up experiencing heartache and misery. In the same way, nobody will invest all their money in a company that will surely fail. Solomon's famous saying "Vanity of vanities; all is vanity" reflects this concept.

“for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal.” 2 Corinthians 4:18, It is vain to set our hearts on the world; and it only matters when we set our hearts for eternity. The key verse today also gives us practical advice on how to abide forever: by doing the will of God ”. 

We can do God's will when we love him, “If you love me, you will keep my commandments” John 14:15. When we obey God, it is not driven by legalistic activity like do or don't, but out of a genuine love of doing what pleases God. It is not a matter of empty words to say we love God but still lust after the world. 

There is a choice, whether to choose the pleasures of the world, which are only for a fleeting moment, or the presence of God, where the fullness of joy is eternal.

Blessing prayer: We have chosen to love our father. I pray that we will not yield to the temptations of this world but do the will of God so that we may abide in you forever. In Jesus’ name, Amen