Friendship with the World (29 Dec)

Verses for the day

• Rom 14:23 But if you have doubts about whether or not you should eat something, you are sinning if you go ahead and do it. For you are not following your convictions. If you do anything you believe is not right, you are sinning.

Thoughts

As I begin to write this morning, I am praying the words of 1 Thess 5:14 and asking the Father what do you need to hear from the Father today? If you need a reminder of the gifts He has given you, may he remind you. If it’s encouragement in your faith, may you be encouraged. But, if He is putting His finger on something He wants you to grow in, I pray you will listen to the Holy Spirit, and obey him.

This morning I needed the later. There’s an area in my life He has been putting His finger on that I need to grow in. So, that is what I am sharing with you this morning.

The context of Rom 14:23 is being considerate of a weaker brother in the faith. But what God put his finger on for me this morning is times when the Holy Spirit is convicting me of something that I should not do, and I go ahead and do it anyway.

It’s kindof like chocolate during the holidays… at least for me it is. Robin made all these treats, and I absolutely love eating them. And Emily made this wonderful peanut butter cookies that are just so yummie. I know I am eating more than I should, but I just enjoy it so much. But, after a week of it, I have begun to get tired of how it makes me feel. So I know I shouldn’t keep eating it. But, as soon as I get a taste of it, I just want more, even though I know I should stop.

Sin is a lot like that… or at least it is for me. Boys, we know this is true when it comes to lust and our thought life. But, did you know the whole social media world was developed to cater to this? It’s designed to give you a taste, that invites you to click and keep looking. Obviously gluttony is like that too.

As I thought about this, and prayed through my prayer list, I was challenged by these verses:

• 1 John 2:15-17 says, “Do not love this world, nor the things it has to offer. Because, when you love the world, you do not love the Father. The world only offers craving for physical pleasure, craving for what you see, and pride in your achievements and possessions. These things are not from the Father, but from the world, and the world is going to fade away along with everything in it. But those who do what pleases God will last forever.
• James 4:4 Don’t you realize that friendship with the world makes you an enemy of God? I say it again: If you want to be a friend of the world, you make yourself an enemy of God.
• Romans 12:2 And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of you mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God

Prayer

• Father, give me a distaste of sin. May it become like eating sweets over the holidays… where I just don’t have any desire for it. Help me to have the self-control to not even take a taste. LIke Rom 13:14 reminds me, help me to clothe myself with your presence and not even entertain or think about ways of indulging my flesh.
• I pray for those who read these words today that sin would be distasteful. That they would not want to be friends with the world. May you help them to remember there are only 2 paths, only 2 sources from which we live… with the Father (Godly) or without (godless). May you keep them from being conformed to the world. May you transform them by renewing their minds and changing their thinking to become more and more like you.