GOD RULES!

Lord, I am Your child, and I want to obey Your Word.  Please guide and direct me in all things of You, so I can see what is Truth and what is not real. 

1 John 2:12-17 

I am writing to you, dear children, because your sins have been forgiven on account of his name.   I am writing to you, fathers, because you know him who is from the beginning. I am writing to you, young men, because you have overcome the evil one.  I write to you, dear children, because you know the Father.  I write to you, fathers, because you know him who is from the beginning.  I write to you, young men, because you are strong, and the word of God lives in you, and you have overcome the evil one. Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, love for the Father is not in them. For everything in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—comes not from the Father but from the world. The world and its desires pass away, but whoever does the will of God lives forever. 

What a blessing it is to be a child of God!  I know I’m adopted by God because I know the Father and my sins have been forgiven.  Earthly fathers are commended in this passage for knowing the eternal God.  My relationship with God will help me overcome the evil one, because I am strong and the word of God lives in me. 

The biggest distraction in this life is the world itself.  The world is all around me.  If I am absorbed into it and love the world, this love displaces the love I should have for the Father.  This passage acknowledges the three greatest distractions that I have to battle against: 

1. The lust of the flesh—if I am passionate only for the temporal things of this world to an extent that they rule my heart and mind, then I am caught in the lust of the flesh. 

2. The lust of the eyes—if my passion extends to those things I see and I constantly desire those things instead of what God desires for me, I am trapped in the lust of the eyes. 

3. The pride of life—if I live only for worldly accomplishments and success instead of pleasing God, I am caught up in the pride of life. 

THINK ABOUT THESE THINGS:  Both lust and pride describe what I allow to rule my life; both also refer to temporary things—lust is not a substitute for the genuine love of God, nor is the pride of life a replacement for the abundant life that Jesus Christ offers. 

I need to stay focused on what comes from the Father instead of what comes from the world.  If I don’t, these nasty distractions are prone to creep in and take over my life.  Satan’s purpose for these distractions is to destroy my relationship with Jesus and draw me further away from Him.   

Lord, please guard my heart and help me take notice when these distractions come so that I can lift them up to You.  I desire to keep focused on You in everything I do!