Who or What Has Your Heart?

[Christsfreeservant]

“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 of life—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.” (1 John 2:15-17 ESV)​

When this tells us not to love the world, this is not speaking of the people of the world. We are to love the people. But what does this word “love” mean? It means for the believer in Christ to prefer what God prefers, which is what is holy, righteous, morally pure, honest, and faithful, etc. It means to embrace God’s will and to choose his choices and to obey them through his power. It means for us to actively be doing what the Lord prefers.

But if we are loving the things of the world, which includes the desires (lusts) of the flesh and eyes and the pride of life, then what are we doing? We are preferring the flesh and things which are worldly and ungodly and immoral, etc., over God or in place of God. We are taking pleasure in and longing for what is sinful and of this world rather than for God. We are choosing the choices of the world and we are obeying them and not God.

And that is why this says that if we love the things of this sinful world and we embrace its choices and we desire what is of the flesh and the lusts of the eyes and the pride of life, then the love of the Father is not in us. For we can’t love God and love what is opposed to God at the same time. We will love one and hate the other, but we can’t love and be passionate about and long for both God and what is of the flesh and is not of God.

And so we need to guard our hearts and minds and eyes and ears against what is of this sinful world, and we should not willfully allow ourselves to be entertained by what is of the flesh and is ungodly and immoral and wicked. So we need to pay attention to song lyrics and what is being communicated via movies and TV shows and YouTube and TikTok videos, etc., and what we see on Social media, etc. And take in only what is not against God.

And we then need to set our minds on God and on his word and on living upright, morally pure, righteous, godly, honest and faithful to God lives in this world of ours. And Jesus Christ needs to be Lord (Owner-Master) of our lives, and our lives now need to be those directed by him and by his Word and not by the world and by human flesh. For it is whoever is DOING the will of God who abides forever, not those who merely give lip service to God.

[Matt 7:21-23; Matt 24:9-14; Lu 9:23-26; Rom 1:18-32; Rom 2:6-8; Rom 6:1-23; Rom 8:1-14,24; Rom 12:1-2; Rom 13:11; 1 Co 6:9-10,19-20; 2 Co 5:10,15,21; 1 Co 1:18; 1 Co 15:1-2; 2 Tim 1:8-9; Heb 9:28; 1 Pet 1:5; Gal 5:16-21; Gal 6:7-8; Eph 2:8-10; Eph 4:17-32; Eph 5:3-6; Col 1:21-23; Col 3:5-17; 1 Pet 2:24; Tit 2:11-14; 1 Jn 1:5-9; 1 Jn 2:3-6,24-25; 1 Jn 3:4-10; Heb 3:6,14-15; Heb 10:23-31; Heb 12:1-2; Rev 21:8,27; Rev 22:14-15]

What or Who Has Your Heart?
Video Talk

July 10, 2023

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Oh, to Be Like Thee, Blessed Redeemer

Lyrics by Thomas O. Chisholm, 1897
Music by W. J. Kirkpatrick, 1897

Oh, to be like Thee! blessèd Redeemer,
This is my constant longing and prayer;
Gladly I’ll forfeit all of earth’s treasures,
Jesus, Thy perfect likeness to wear.

Oh, to be like Thee! full of compassion,
Loving, forgiving, tender and kind,
Helping the helpless, cheering the fainting,
Seeking the wandering sinner to find.

O to be like Thee! lowly in spirit,
Holy and harmless, patient and brave;
Meekly enduring cruel reproaches,
Willing to suffer others to save.

O to be like Thee! while I am pleading,
Pour out Thy Spirit, fill with Thy love;
Make me a temple meet for Thy dwelling,
Fit me for life and Heaven above.

Oh, to be like Thee! Oh, to be like Thee,
Blessèd Redeemer, pure as Thou art;
Come in Thy sweetness, come in Thy fullness;
Stamp Thine own image deep on my heart.

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