“For all that is in the world – the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride of life – is not from the Father but is from the world.” 1 John 2:16
September 2, 2022
Big-city smog. It can be deceptive. There was a time when Chattanooga, Tennessee, was known for its unfit air (no longer true). You could be in the midst of the city and look up and see the blue sky and think the air was ok. But stand on Lookout Mountain and look down on breathing conditions below. They were not healthy. Such is the moral and spiritual world in which we live. Consider this an alert. The world is all of the unbelief operating at the present time through institutions, literature, the media, conversation, entertainment, commercials, and any other means of communication. The world is a counter culture to that of biblical Christianity. God is left out. One front on which the follower of Jesus has to engage a sinful world-system is the “lust of the flesh.” There are cravings which are incentivized that can rule us. Those who love this world are short-sighted; they want to be satisfied and honored now (Lk. 6:24-26). The lust of the flesh is any desire that acts in rebellion against God. These are appetites of our senses when they are out of order; sexual fulfillment outside of marriage, binge watching of programs that chase pure thoughts out the door, desiring to be liked or loved without regard to the moral compromises that are created, a craving for a feel-good drug that rules our lives. Is there some craving I have that is pushing God aside? What is so desperately important to me that is grieving the Holy Spirit? Those who love the Father have a long-term perspective and wait for God’s reward (Lk. 6:20-23). H
A time to pray: “Dear Lord, deliver me from the authority of feelings and desires that I am serving which are promising what they can’t provide.”