Scripture

For the world offers only a craving for physical pleasures, a craving for everything we see, and pride in our achievements and possessions.

Observation

John writes to three groups- children, young men and fathers, These are spiritual categories, not chronological ones. God’s children are people who know they are forgiven. The young men are those who know God’s word and have won battles against the evil one. Fathers are those who know Christ in a deep and mature way.

We must not love the world, because that leads us away from God. The wold offers only superficial attractions, and it is passing away.

Application

The world system is opposed to God. It relies on our physical nature to lure us away from the things of God.

This is not to denigrate the physical body. God made us as physical beings. When the physical part of life dominates what we think about and what we do, then we are in danger of turning away from God completely.

The world offers a craving for physical pleasure. We are not to pursue sexual immorality, possessions, unrestrained desire for food, and so on, because these things of themselves are not good for us. The world entices us but God says, “No.”

The craving for what we see can be strong. This covers things like new and better possessions, greed for wealth, that special holiday that will fix everything, a better house in a more prestigious postcode. None of these things will satisfy us, but they are so tempting. The ten commandments forbid coveting, but the world thrives on it.

Pride can be a downfall for many. It is fine to feel good about our achievements, but we can become over-impressed with ourselves. Pride leads us to believe that we are better than other people and ultimately that we are infallible.

The world leads us to worship ourselves and our fleshly appetites. We make idols that displace the one true God.

Prayer

Lord, I confess the many temptations that I feel every day. Please help me to take my eyes off the things of the physical world and worship you alone. Amen.