Refuse Worldliness – Rhapsody Of Realities TeeVo Devotional October 19th

(Love Not The World)

TO THE BIBLE: 1 John 2:15 NIV
“Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.”

LET’S TALK
This was one of the first Bible verses that impressed upon my young, receptive mind as an eight-year-old. It’s God’s declaration, and it’s final. It says if you love the world, the love of the Father isn’t in you.

You may confess a thousand times that you love God, but if you’re in love with the world or the things of the world, the love of the Father isn’t in you.

Some have asked, “Why would God tell us not to love the world when the Bible says, ‘For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son’?

Why can’t we also love the world like the Father did?” God loved the world of men; not the systems and the things in it.

He loved the people and sent Jesus, His Son, to save them from their sins; 1 John 2:16 TPT says, “For all that the world can offer us—the gratification of our flesh, the allurement of the things of the world, and the obsession with status and importance—none of these things come from the Father but from the world.” The Scripture is admonishing us against worldliness and carnality.

Refuse to be influenced or carried away by the spirit of the world. The Bible says, “…Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Whoever therefore wants to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God” (James 4:4).

As saints of God, we shouldn’t engage in unspiritual discussions where sometimes they spend hours arguing about their favorite sports teams, almost getting into fights over who’s better.

They’ll binge-watch movies and TV shows for hours on end, but when it comes time to pray or study the Bible, they can barely keep their eyes open.

Don’t let yourself get so caught up in these things that they end up controlling your life and pulling you away from what really matters.

You’re in this world for a divine purpose. So, think differently and be conscious of that higher purpose for which God in Christ has called you.

Go Deeper
Galatians 6:14 AMPC; 2 Timothy 4:10 CEV; James 4:4 AMPC

Pray:
Dear Father, the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world! I live for Christ, and I refuse to be swayed by the spirit of the world, nor enticed by the sensual, carnal, fleshly and worldly trends. I’m from above, and my mind is set on things above. I’m an ambassador for Christ, called to establish heaven and righteousness in the hearts of men, in Jesus’ Name. Amen

Daily Bible Reading
ONE YEAR
1 Timothy 1:1-20, Isaiah 50-51
TWO YEAR
John 6:41-51, 2 Kings 5

Act:
From today onwards, prioritise prayer, studying the Word of God, and engaging in spiritual disciplines over worldly distractions.