Clinging to Temporary Things
by Dr. Paul Chappell
“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
Lot should never have been in Sodom in the first place, and the only reason he survived God’s righteous fury at that sinful city was because of Abraham’s intercession and God’s mercy. In the end, the angels took Lot, his wife, and their two unmarried daughters out of the town before the brimstone fell. But though their physical bodies may have changed locations, that did not change the things they loved and valued. Lot’s wife left only with the greatest reluctance, because she loved what she was leaving behind, sinful though it was—and it cost her everything. “But his wife looked back from behind him, and she became a pillar of salt” (Genesis 19:26).
The world attempts to draw our attention and allure our hearts away from God. It is filled with temptations that draw us toward sin and appeal to our fallen appetites. Yet even though we know this is true, it is hard for us to not be drawn into evil. Too many Christians sin because they are in love with the things of the world, so they rationalize bad behavior and cling to evil when they should instead be clinging to God and what is right and good. Someone said, “Worldliness is what any particular culture does to make sin look normal and righteousness look strange.” The snares placed around us have no power if we love our Father in Heaven and focus on what is eternal instead.
1 John 2:15–17
Lot should never have been in Sodom in the first place, and the only reason he survived God’s righteous fury at that sinful city was because of Abraham’s intercession and God’s mercy. In the end, the angels took Lot, his wife, and their two unmarried daughters out of the town before the brimstone fell. But though their physical bodies may have changed locations, that did not change the things they loved and valued. Lot’s wife left only with the greatest reluctance, because she loved what she was leaving behind, sinful though it was—and it cost her everything. “But his wife looked back from behind him, and she became a pillar of salt” (Genesis 19:26).
The world attempts to draw our attention and allure our hearts away from God. It is filled with temptations that draw us toward sin and appeal to our fallen appetites. Yet even though we know this is true, it is hard for us to not be drawn into evil. Too many Christians sin because they are in love with the things of the world, so they rationalize bad behavior and cling to evil when they should instead be clinging to God and what is right and good. Someone said, “Worldliness is what any particular culture does to make sin look normal and righteousness look strange.” The snares placed around us have no power if we love our Father in Heaven and focus on what is eternal instead.
Today’s Growth Principle:
Because this world is temporary, falling for the lies of sin leads to destruction rather than lasting joy.
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