15 Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, love for the Father is not in them. 16 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. 17 The world and its desires pass away, but whoever does the will of God lives forever.
1 John 2:15-16
As a dad, one of my least favourite experiences is going shopping with the kids. It doesn’t matter where we go, they always have a way of finding the aisle with all the cheap toys and immediately start asking if they can buy something. They have boxes of toys at home but there is something inside of them that wants more. What they have is not enough. I doesn’t matter that the toys are junk, they need more and if they don’t get it, there will be tantrums and sulking all the way home.
The word more is a problem for us. We are not immune in church either. There are more blessings, there are more resources, more favour, larger tent pegs… more, more, more. It is relentless. John describes lust of the flesh which are all the things we want to touch and experience. Lust of the eyes are all the things we want to look at. Pride of life are the things that we want to become. It is the voice that says that what we have is not enough, we need more!
This relentless hunger is like a conveyor belt. You see that new iPhone 16 and you need it. So, you work hard, you save up all your money or perhaps get a credit card and you buy it. And you are happy… for a while. But then you look up and see the next thing, the next experience, the next promotion and what you have is no longer enough. I once heard it described as like eating sand. You know that these things won’t really satisfy you but you eat it anyway. It is perpetual, dissatisfying and it makes me wonder, when will it be enough?
The answer is never. The reason for this is that love for the Father is absent. What does that mean?
He is saying that what we consume shapes us. What we pursue forms us or more accurately, it transforms us. We become what we worship. When he says that we should not love the world, he isn’t saying that we need to abandon life, work and culture and move to an Amish farm. This is not about abandonment, it is about priority and heart. He is saying that we need to get our relationship right with our appetites. We discover an incredible security, peace and fulfilment in a God who loves us deeply and closely. He is enough.
Reflect
- What do you find yourself hungry for?
- What would it look and feel like to be totally satisfied in your soul?
- Think about how God loves you. Faithfully, sacrificially and generously.
Respond
Pause and pray. Spend this time in two sections. First, think of five specific things that you love about God and tell him. Then, make a little space for God to speak to you.
