1 John 2:15
The
world we live in today has so many conveniences that it can be easy to get
comfortable. Have you noticed how many stores now have those electric cars that
people ride around in and shop? I know that mobility can be difficult for some
people due to injury and illness. I am glad they are there for those people.
And some of the new cars that have come out almost make me want to buy one.
They are so shiny and glitzy. They have so many conveniences built right into
the car. Bluetooth and backup cameras, GPS maps and DVD players. Heated seats
for those up North and powerful A/C for those of us down South. You could
almost live in it.
John
writes that love is exclusive. Love can’t be split between the LORD and
anything or anyone else. If we try to love both, we lose our position with the
Father. Love for the world is something that will consume you. It prevents
loving the Father.
So
how can you tell what someone loves? Find out what they polish! That’s right.
Where do they spend their time and energy? When you polish something you work
until you can see a reflection of yourself in it. If you are going about your business
trying to make your mark in the world, people will see your reflection in everything
you do. They will see your signature that you leave behind.
But
if your focus is on the Kingdom, then people with see His signature in all your
work. He will get the credit. Someone will get credit. Someone will get a pat
on the back. Someone will be lifted up. And if you love that credit, that pat
on the back, that exaltation, you are loving the world. You probably have too
high a view of your importance. Your head has swollen.
It
can be hard in our world of personal satisfaction to keep our focus on the
LORD. It is so easy to get distracted along the way. There are so many demands
on our time and attention. How do we keep all these competing priorities in
their proper order? It is a struggle. And it was a struggle for John’s readers
as well. That is why John wrote about it here. He wrote it to remind us about
keeping our focus.
We
can’t love God and mammon, Jesus said. This world can’t be the focus of our
lives. We can’t spend all our energy and time trying to be successful in this
life and still keep the LORD as our focus. We can’t be walking in two
directions at the same time. We can’t multitask our relationship with the LORD.
He must be object of our life. And when He is, He promises that everything else
will find its rightful place.
We
know this truth if we are married. We can’t say we love our spouse and yet keep
courting other people. We can’t go on dates with others. We can’t share those
private thoughts and life goals with just anyone. They need to be the sole
property of your spouse. We can have eyes only for our spouse. Wandering is
disrespectful and causes many a breakup. When we long for connection our spouse
must be the one to whom we turn. If we turn to someone outside that
relationship, we get in trouble.
So
it is in our spiritual life. If we turn to the right or the left to satisfy our
spiritual needs, we get disconnected from the LORD. Only He can satisfy those
needs. We must turn to Him.