September 7: Thoughts on 1 John 2:17

"The world and its desires pass away, but the man who does the will of God lives forever."
~ 1 John 2:17

What do you desire? Really, truly, what do you desire? There are two kinds of desires: Godly desires and worldly desires.

Godly desires might include wanting to grow closer to God, wanting to start a Bible study, wanting to grow closer to your spouse, wanting to find a Godly Christian spouse, wanting to serve in the mission field, wanting to go to Masters Commission, wanting to find a better job so you can give more to God, wanting to increase your devotional and prayer time, and so on.

What about worldly desires? These are desires for things that aren't of God. These could include an intense sexual lust for someone you're not married to (or for anyone, if you're not married), a desire to spend all your money on clothes and a fast car, a desire to go to a party and get fall-down drunk, a desire to date recklessly and without regard for the other person's spiritual condition, and so on.

The tug of worldly desires can be very, very strong. I know we all got those PBS specials about self-esteem and peer pressure in school, but in all honesty, it can be tough to keep our minds on the things of God. Everything around us is competing for our attention and devotion – television, movies, celebrities, friends, family, and God. Out of all those voices, God is usually not the loudest, but of course, His is the right one to be listening to – we just need to tune in more closely to what He has to say! Because worldly desires? We want these things now, but in the grand scheme of things, they're not going to help us (and some of them can even be spiritually harmful to us). They're temporary; they'll end someday. But eternity's forever.

While worldly desires tempt us now, Godly desires are much more profitable for us. It's not in God's will for anyone to spend eternity in Hell (2 Peter 3:9). Those who follow their own way, who focus on the things of the world rather than God, will still live eternally but not happily (see Revelation 14:11, for instance). Those who follow God's will and seek out His offer of salvation through Christ will have eternal life in Heaven.