Are you Honest?

Whatever commands our time, energy, and resources commands us. And if we
are honest, we will admit that our lives really aren’t that different from
those of our secular counterparts. I believe that one of the reasons
Christian's are so ineffective in evangelism is that we are so much like
the people around us. We hang out around church buildings a little bit
more. We abstain from a few different things. But we simply aren’t that
different. There are specific areas mentioned throughout scripture where we
must fight the battle against sin. In, *1 John 2:16 For all that is in the
world—the lust and sensual craving of the flesh and the lust and longing of
the eyes and the boastful pride of life [pretentious confidence in one’s
resources or in the stability of earthly things]—these do not come from the
Father, but are from the world.* John used the word, "world" to refer to
the evil, organized system under Satan, which operates through unbelieving
people who are God’s enemies. Worldliness is, at its core, a matter of the
heart and primarily an attitude that is motivated by wrong desires and the
wrongful promotion of self. A poor man who does not have many possessions
may be very worldly because he desires those things as the key to
happiness. But, a wealthy man may not be worldly in that he uses his
possessions as a steward of God and as a means of promoting God’s purpose
and glory. Christian's need to make a choice: Will you love the Father, or
will you love the world? Most Christian's have made that choice, but
maintaining it on a day to day basis can be very challenging. Brethren, we
cannot yield to the temptations and lust of the world and feel that it is
okay with God. We MUST surrender to the will and purpose of God for each of
us. Father, open our eyes and help us to see our hearts and what they are
truly set upon, in Jesus name, amen.

Douglas