Fire On Your Head

“Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.  For everything in the world—the cravings of sinful man, the lust of his eyes and the boasting of what he has and does—comes not from the Father but from the world.  The world and its desires pass away, but the man who does the will of God lives forever.” 1 John 2:15-17

This passage of scripture uses strong language. It leaves no room for error. It states its case plainly, pointedly and concisely.

In the Church, we all have three primary enemies: 1). The flesh; 2). The Devil; and 3). The world.

We see this referred to also in the Parable of the Sower: the world is represented as seed sown among thorns. They grow up and choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful. Not that it bears no fruit at all, but that perhaps it bears no lasting fruit. It BECOMES unfruitful.

What do these thorns represent, specifically? The cares of this world, the deceitfulness of riches, the desire for other things, pleasures of this life, etc… Obviously, the love of the world.

We all naturally gravitate to that which we love most. We enjoy talking of those things that are most dear to us. We crave any new information or available knowledge of our favorite object of affection with great interest and excitement. We never think to complain of any cost or sacrifice that is necessary to pursue this object of our affection, but instead feel that it is well worth it.

Now, please bear with me here while I put some pointed questions to your own conscience, for the purpose of helping you to discover your own true spiritual condition, whether “the love of the Father” is in you or “the love of the world”.

The passage above states that,”if any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him…“.

1). Has serving God become a boring routine to you?  Do you find yourself indulging more and more in worldly entertainment–even in some things with questionable content and/or subject matter–without first asking yourself, “will this glorify God? Will this set a good example in favor of holiness and will this be a positive influence to others of godliness? Will doing this demonstrate and exemplify “the love of the Father”, or “the love of the world?”

If these questions are unimportant to you , and instead, you presumptuously indulge your worldly lusts, you can be sure that you love the world and the things in it, and that the love of the Father is not in you.

2). What kind of things do you most enjoy talking about? Do you find your greatest pleasure discussing deeply spiritual subjects such as holiness, self-denial, prevailing prayer, healing the sick, driving our demons, the love of God, etc…? Or do you prefer discussing the latest worldly music, movies, entertainment and amusements? Remember, Jesus Christ Himself laid it down as a rule of our nature, “Out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks”.

3). When you do read God’s Word, is it hard to put it down because you are so hungry for God, or do you find its pages uninteresting and even boring? Do you love to spend time in prayer because you enjoy being with the father, or do you avoid prayer or feel inclined to keep it short so that you can get past it and on to something more enjoyable to you?

4). When you perform what you consider to be your Christian duties, do you feel relieved, and free once again to pursue your worldly enjoyments, as though you had fulfilled an obligation, or do you consider yourself a love-slave to Jesus Christ, and that everything you do,–whether you eat or drink or whatever you do–that it should be done for the glory of God?

My beloved brother, sister, whoever you are, remember that while you read these questions, God’s eye is pouring a searching blaze of light into your inmost heart.

Now, I won’t take it upon myself to accuse you or to decide the answer to these questions for you. I encourage you to examine yourself, listen to your conscience and allow the Spirit of God to search you and show you your true character, and show you whether you are “lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God”.

If you no longer find pleasure in serving God or if you find MORE pleasure in worldly amusements, then you have left your first love and are a backslider in heart who is “filled with his own ways”.

If this is the case with you, I urge you, at once, to stop what you are doing, fall on you knees and repent, and do your first works. Your first work is to love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind and strength, to deny yourself, take up your cross and follow Jesus Christ. Otherwise, you CANNOT be His disciple.

Perhaps some of you are thinking, “this is legalism! this is bondage!”.
To whom is it legalism? If you PREFERRED God and loved Him with all your heart, soul, mind and strength, you would find your greatest pleasure in pursuing Him, and anything that cooled off your zeal or took up time you could be spending in His fellowship, service or conversation would be repulsive to you. Legalism and bondage is when you perform your Christian duties out of a sense of obligation rather than out of love and because you prefer it. If you loved Him as you ought to, wouldn’t you want to talk of Him, His word and His great love?  Wouldn’t you find your greatest pleasure in pursuing Him and bringing sinners for whom He died into His family, so that “the Lamb that was slain may receive the reward of His suffering?

Remember the sad words of the Apostle Paul, “Demas has forsaken me, having loved this present world”.

Your servant-brother,

Joel Crumpton

http://joelcrumpton.blogspot.com