WORLDLINESS DEFINED
Pastor Abel Oyewale
Nigeria
READ: 1 John 2:15-17
15 "Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him.
16 For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.
17 And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever."
Worldliness has been misconstrued by some to mean having the good things of life, such as good cars, comfortable houses, decent clothing and the like. This is not true, because some of the heroes of faith that God loved so much were not only very rich, they also lived a good life. Here is Abraham’s servant’s testimony of Abraham’s status in Genesis 24:35:
“And the LORD hath blessed my master greatly; and he is become great: and he hath given him flocks, and herds, and silver, and gold, and menservants, and maidservants, and camels, and asses.”
The good life Abraham had is evident in the fact that he could afford to entertain three “casual” passersby with a whole calf (Genesis 14:14). In light of these facts, we need to properly define what worldliness is in order to distinguish it from good living.
What then is worldliness if it is not synonymous with being wealthy? Today’s memory verse gives us a hint of God’s view on this subject matter. From this verse of Scripture we understand that things of this world are meant for our use but not for our abuse. According to today’s Bible reading, simply defined, worldliness is “lust”.
“For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.” 1 John 2:16
From the Scripture above, we understand that worldliness is lusting after the following:
1. Things that are not yours and cannot be yours, but which you still desire by all means, such as another man’s wife.
2. Things you do not necessarily need but which you still get for the sake of the pride of life.
3. Things you own that you keep away from those who actually need them.
4. Lack of contentment with what God has made you or given you. For example, a dark person bleaching their skin to become a light person.
Above all, worldliness is denying God what He originally gave you when He demands it. An example of this is manifested when instead of using the blessing God has deposited in your life for the purpose of propagating the gospel, you choose to keep it away from Him because you need to buy the latest car in town, despite the fact that you already have enough cars to take you around. Learn from Joseph of Arimathaea who selflessly volunteered his own expensive tomb for Jesus’ burial (Matthew 27:57-60).
Beloved, a person can be poor and still be worldly if the little he or she has is placed or valued higher than the Almighty God. How highly do you rate your possessions today?
God bless you all as you are reading this message.
Pastor Abel Oyewale
Nigeria
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