1 John 2:15-17

i don’t think there’s a passage of scripture that is more invigorating and potentially life-changing than the one i preached on yesterday!

it’s a serious mistake to assume that the “world” can be defined simply by listing off the things we are to avoid doing.  let’s be realistic…there are reasons god gave his people specific rules to keep and behaviors to avoid out in the desert…and there are also reasons that the apostle paul tells his readers to be very careful to avoid “rule-keeping” as a way of defining our spirituality.  it’s all about balance.

there are boat loads of potentially harmful behaviors:  dancing, watching movies or television, going to concerts, drinking, gambling, rock and roll music, reading novels, going to sporting events, owning a gun or a fancy car or a showcase home, playing the lottery, going on a cruise, looking at a billboard or a teen magazine, overeating, smoking and dipping, cussing, spending too much time on the internet or the phone or text messaging, driving over the speed limit, being a republican or a democrat…

everybody has a different opinion about the relative worldliness of each one of those issues…as well as an opinion about what god thinks about each one.  John is really brilliant in not making a list of worldly behaviors to avoid, but pointing us to the “heart” behind every sinful behavior of the world:  uncontrolled urges, wandering eyes, believing that what we have or do will change how god feels about us, and selfish pride that threatens to poison every good thought, good intention, and good choice we ever make.

how did this passage challenge your thinking?