LOVING THE WORLD Vs YOUR SOUL
Introduction
The natural tendency of man is towards the world, to conquer the world, be rich and be the envy of all.
From the day Adam and Eve sinned, and the knowledge of good and evil entered into the heart of man, human beings have continued to act on his own, using his brain and creative wisdom to act independently. Man forgot that before the fall, he was dependent on God and looked forward to fellowship with the Almighty God every now and then.
That instinct changed after the fall. The man turned to the world, and to Satan instead of God. God then had to devise a salvation plan to reconcile man back to his original position of dominion on earth. He sent His only son Jesus Christ and put His Spirit in Him to come to the earth in the form of a man, to experience man's world in its fullness and redeem man from sin and death.
God created man for companionship and the salvation plan is meant to restore that companionship between God and man, but this time around it has to be men that has dropped their earthly nature - that 'nature of Satan' man acquired through sin. It has to be men who have surrendered their natural will and taken the Will of the Father as theirs.
The salvation experience
Salvation itself is only complete in death. If you repent of your sins and give your heart to Jesus Christ at the point of death, you are saved and goes home to be with the Lord. If you repent and give your heart to the Lord Jesus Christ and continue to live and serve Him on the earth, then know clearly that:
Salvation itself is only complete in death. If you repent of your sins and give your heart to Jesus Christ at the point of death, you are saved and goes home to be with the Lord. If you repent and give your heart to the Lord Jesus Christ and continue to live and serve Him on the earth, then know clearly that:
- Your spirit is saved by faith, immediately you believed, you were saved.
- Your soul is however saved through gradual renewal through the Word of God as you study, meditate and apply the word in your daily experience, you are renewed.
- Your spirit is saved at once because Christ laid His life down for me and you, but your soul is saved because you deny yourself and follow the Lord. Math 16:24
The irony of the Christian walk.
So many have given their heart to Jesus, but their soul is yet to be saved because they are not following Jesus Christ in truth and spirit. So you see believers who continue with their old Adamic nature simply because the love of the world is still intact in their life and soul. The desire to be satisfied with everything good they see is still there.
The desire to succeed at all cost is still there and so, they can do any business, so far it will bring riches and wealth to them. The desire to be popular and well known, to have power and control over others and to enjoy life - all fleshly and natural desires are still there.
I am not saying these dreams and desires are bad in themselves, but a child of God should seek and do a business that is pleasing to God. A Christian will be conscious of the business he does, otherwise, events in the place of business can lure him back into the world. You cannot do a business that promotes illicit activities like owning a Brothel, where prostitutes live and ply their trade. No child of God is expected to sell alcoholic drinks and wine that intoxicate people, neither are you expected to sell Cigarettes, all such business activities do not bring glory to God.
For some people, this is what they have to give up, before their salvation can take shape. If you find yourself in this kind of business before you received Jesus, you will have to change your business and the things you do, to something that pleases God. Some Believers have paid this price, and they are today, able to serve the Lord faithfully.
You have to believe the Word of God and His promises. and trust in the Lord to bless your good efforts in business and career. The Lord will certainly meet your needs. The business should be one that glorifies His name. It has to be activities that fall within the will of God. Do not make making money and getting wealth, your priority in life, it should rather be to obey the Lord and please Him.
What does it mean to love the world?
In 1 John 2:15-16, the bible says, "Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, love for the Father is not in them. For everything in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—comes not from the Father but from the world." Yet John 3:16 begins, "For God so loved the world. . . ." So, God loves the world, but we are not supposed to? Why the apparent contradiction?
When the Bible says that God loves the world, it is referring to the human beings who live here, and as His children, we are to love other people (Romans 13:8; 1 John 4:7; 1 Peter 1:22). The parable of the Good Samaritan makes it clear we cannot pick and choose whom to love.
When we are told not to love the world, the Bible is referring to the world's corrupt value system. Satan is the god of this world, and he has his own value system contrary to God's (2 Corinthians 4:4). The things that are in the world are the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life. Every sin imaginable can be summed up in those three evils: envy, adultery, pride, lying, selfishness, and more spring from those three roots.
The world is what we leave when we come to Christ. We must necessarily leave idolatry to serve the Lord because you cannot serve God and mammon. It was John Calvin that said, "The human heart is an idol factory." We can make idols out of anything.
Coming to God involves forsaking of our own ways and thoughts and focusing on the Word and direction of the Lord. John Bunyan, in his book The Pilgrim’s Progress, pictures the believer’s position as having “his eyes lift up to heaven,” holding “the best of books” in his hand, and standing with “the world as cast behind him”
The world often applauds sin. Loving the world means being devoted to the world’s treasures, philosophies, and priorities. God tells His children to set their priorities according to His eternal value system. We are to “seek first” God’s kingdom and righteousness (Matthew 6:33). No one can serve two masters (Matthew 6:24), and we cannot be devoted to both God and the world at the same time.
In 1 John 2:17, the bible the world passeth away and the lust thereof, but he that doeth the will of God abideth forever. When we enter the kingdom of God through faith in Christ, we are to move away from the'motions of this world' and do the will of God. Doing the will of God is the only way we can abide forever and not pass away with the world.
To continue to love the world after giving our heart to Jesus is a disaster. It will cripple our spiritual growth and render us fruitless for God's kingdom (John 15:1-8). Jesus took this thought a step further when He said, "Anyone who loves their life will lose it, while anyone who hates their life in this world will keep it for eternal life." Not loving the world extends to our own lives as well. Jesus said if we love anything more than Him, we are not worthy of Him (Matthew 10:37-38).
For some people, this is what they have to give up, before their salvation can take shape. If you find yourself in this kind of business before you received Jesus, you will have to change your business and the things you do, to something that pleases God. Some Believers have paid this price, and they are today, able to serve the Lord faithfully.
You have to believe the Word of God and His promises. and trust in the Lord to bless your good efforts in business and career. The Lord will certainly meet your needs. The business should be one that glorifies His name. It has to be activities that fall within the will of God. Do not make making money and getting wealth, your priority in life, it should rather be to obey the Lord and please Him.
What does it mean to love the world?
In 1 John 2:15-16, the bible says, "Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, love for the Father is not in them. For everything in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—comes not from the Father but from the world." Yet John 3:16 begins, "For God so loved the world. . . ." So, God loves the world, but we are not supposed to? Why the apparent contradiction?
When the Bible says that God loves the world, it is referring to the human beings who live here, and as His children, we are to love other people (Romans 13:8; 1 John 4:7; 1 Peter 1:22). The parable of the Good Samaritan makes it clear we cannot pick and choose whom to love.
When we are told not to love the world, the Bible is referring to the world's corrupt value system. Satan is the god of this world, and he has his own value system contrary to God's (2 Corinthians 4:4). The things that are in the world are the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life. Every sin imaginable can be summed up in those three evils: envy, adultery, pride, lying, selfishness, and more spring from those three roots.
The world is what we leave when we come to Christ. We must necessarily leave idolatry to serve the Lord because you cannot serve God and mammon. It was John Calvin that said, "The human heart is an idol factory." We can make idols out of anything.
Coming to God involves forsaking of our own ways and thoughts and focusing on the Word and direction of the Lord. John Bunyan, in his book The Pilgrim’s Progress, pictures the believer’s position as having “his eyes lift up to heaven,” holding “the best of books” in his hand, and standing with “the world as cast behind him”
The world often applauds sin. Loving the world means being devoted to the world’s treasures, philosophies, and priorities. God tells His children to set their priorities according to His eternal value system. We are to “seek first” God’s kingdom and righteousness (Matthew 6:33). No one can serve two masters (Matthew 6:24), and we cannot be devoted to both God and the world at the same time.
In 1 John 2:17, the bible the world passeth away and the lust thereof, but he that doeth the will of God abideth forever. When we enter the kingdom of God through faith in Christ, we are to move away from the'motions of this world' and do the will of God. Doing the will of God is the only way we can abide forever and not pass away with the world.
To continue to love the world after giving our heart to Jesus is a disaster. It will cripple our spiritual growth and render us fruitless for God's kingdom (John 15:1-8). Jesus took this thought a step further when He said, "Anyone who loves their life will lose it, while anyone who hates their life in this world will keep it for eternal life." Not loving the world extends to our own lives as well. Jesus said if we love anything more than Him, we are not worthy of Him (Matthew 10:37-38).
Salvation and love for the world
If people seek satisfaction for these things in this age, they will lose satisfaction in the age to come and Jesus talking in Mathew 16:26 says what shall it profit a man to gain the whole world and lose his soul. This means that the end result of pleasures of this world, pursuit of popularity, power and money is the loss of the souls of men. He said those who are rejoicing now because of their wealth, and those trusting in their wealth will cry in the age to come.
If people seek satisfaction for these things in this age, they will lose satisfaction in the age to come and Jesus talking in Mathew 16:26 says what shall it profit a man to gain the whole world and lose his soul. This means that the end result of pleasures of this world, pursuit of popularity, power and money is the loss of the souls of men. He said those who are rejoicing now because of their wealth, and those trusting in their wealth will cry in the age to come.
Remember in the parable of the Seed, Jesus told His disciples, it was the cares of this world and the deceitfulness of riches that make the word of God unfruitful in peoples. of men - Mathew 13:22.
I believe that it is for the sake of our soul and our making heaven at last that God advised us not to love the world and the things in the world. If we love the world so passionately, the love of the Father will not be in us and our soul will be lost, though our spirit may have been saved at one point.
Taking your heart out of the grip of worldly things is too hard for many because of the pleasure they enjoy. There was a time when the church was mindful of this and thought it, asking the people to reject worldly ways and chose the godly ways. But now, certain elements in the church, not only use worldly ways, but they call it wisdom.
After the salvation of your spirit-man, there is yet another important choice you need to make - The choice between the Kingdom of God and the world. The salvation of the spirit is the beginning our faith walk, we should seek to overcome the world and sin.
This is easy when we decide to surrender all to the Lord. Since I decided to do just that, I live above the ordinary. Those who want to be ordinary and live on a lower plan can do so, but not for me! Will you do so today?
What the bible say about worldly cares and concerns
The bible says in 1 John 2:15-17 - 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. For all that is in the world—the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride in possessions—is not from the Father but is from the world. And the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever.
Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth, because friendship with the world is enmity with God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God. The scriptures say, we should separate ourselves from the unfruitful works of darkness, and instead expose them.
In Titus 2:11-12, the bible says the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people, training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age, so we should not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.
In conclusion, we are encouraged in Isaiah 40:31 - to wait on the Lord, and get our strength renewed, so we shall mount up with wings like eagles; we shall run and not be weary; we shall walk and not faint. After all, what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul? Or what shall a man give in return for his soul?
Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth, because friendship with the world is enmity with God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God. The scriptures say, we should separate ourselves from the unfruitful works of darkness, and instead expose them.
In Titus 2:11-12, the bible says the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people, training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age, so we should not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.
In conclusion, we are encouraged in Isaiah 40:31 - to wait on the Lord, and get our strength renewed, so we shall mount up with wings like eagles; we shall run and not be weary; we shall walk and not faint. After all, what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul? Or what shall a man give in return for his soul?
FIRE...
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