“The World Passeth Away”

Tuesday, October 08, 2019

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

Billions of dollars are spent every year on advertising designed to draw people’s attention and make whatever the product is as attractive as possible. This is not a casual business. Companies do research, testing all sorts of variables to achieve maximum impact on our brains and emotions to get us to respond. A 2017 study reported that the average American sees at least 4,000 ads per day, and some people see more than twice that many.

All of the products and services we are being sold have this in common: even if they work exactly as advertised, they only produce a temporary effect. The things of this world by their nature are temporal and fleeting. After using his great wealth and power to seek pleasure, King Solomon concluded: “Therefore I hated life; because the work that is wrought under the sun is grievous unto me: for all is vanity and vexation of spirit” (Ecclesiastes 2:17).

Just about everyone who has ever been to a fair or carnival has tried cotton candy. This confection of spun sugar is sweet, but as soon as you put it in your mouth, it starts to melt away. In just seconds, the cotton candy is gone. That’s a perfect metaphor for the things of the world. They may be fleetingly sweet, but they quickly vanish. I have never seen anyone seek happiness in the things of the world who ended his life as a happy person.

Today's Growth Principle: 

Focus your attention and affections on the things of God instead of the things of the world.