1 John 2:15

PASSAGE: 1 John 2:15 - Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.

PAUSE: Warning! It is literally impossible to love God and love the world at the same time. One cancels out the other! It was Saint Augustine back in the first century who argued in his book Confessions that the essence of sin was not simply the bad behavior of breaking God’s laws. He asserted that what drives our sin is that the objects of our love get twisted and out of order. In other words, instead of loving God first and most and passionately and in full surrender, we turn and focus our love on other things and make them idols in our hearts. And the moment we do this, our love for God doesn’t just shrink, it disappears. Oh, we may still say that we “love God” but the truth is that the other things we love have become our god. Friend, do you have an idol (disordered love) that has stolen your love for God? 

PRAYER: Precious Father, I choose to love You because You first loved me. Now help me, Lord, to love what You love and to hate what You hate! Amen.