Read 1 John 2:15-17 During the holidays, my dad’s side of the family always puts on an elaborate meal for the couple of dozen people in our family. They work on the meal for days before, and they take hours upon hours making sure everything is perfect for all of us to come through and devour it all leaving only a mess behind. While I appreciate the effort that goes into me stuffing my face, I always thought it was interesting how much work was put into something that was going to be completely trashed just hours later. It makes me think of all the things I spend time stressing over things that really won’t matter a few years, months, or even days later. John was one of Jesus’ disciples, and, in the gospel he wrote telling of his experiences with Jesus, he often referred to himself as “the disciple whom Jesus loved.” In 1 John, he is writing to a group of Christians who were ready to give up on their faith. They had been struggling, and they couldn’t put together some of the details of the Christian faith. John wrote to them and told them to not love the world or anything in the world because the things in the world like lust and pride doesn’t come from God. He goes on to say that everything in this world, including the things we get so caught up in, will one day pass away, but the things people do for God will go on forever. Most of us kind of like our lives. Even if things aren’t great, it’s better than not having life. So, when we read “do not love the world,” it can sound kind of extreme. Is God telling us we can’t love our kids or friends or enjoy what we do? What John is saying that, if the primary focus of our lives is found in the desires we have for the things of this world, our happiness isn’t going to last very long. One day, we will all pass away. One day, this world and the way it operates will no longer be here. All that stuff will fade away. It’s what we do for God and His kingdom that will last forever. What in your life are you a part of that will outlive you? What are you doing that will still matter decades from now? Reflect Make a list of a few things that should be more important to you than your own personal happiness. Why should these things be more important? Pray In your prayer time today, pray about the things you can be doing in your life right now that will matter even after you leave this earth. Ask God for guidance, wisdom, and courage to push toward those things. // TWO-A-DAYS // GO A LITTLE FARTHER WITH YOUR DAILY DEVOTIONS // Go through these questions with your spouse, kids, or friend, or you can even journal about the answers to these questions:
- What was the best part of your day?
- What was the toughest part of your day?
- Where did you mess up today?
- Where did you see God today?
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