Love Not the World

1 John 2:

15 Do not love the world nor the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, love for the Father is not in him;

Recovery Version Footnote:(http://online.recoveryversion.org/FootNotes.asp?FNtsID=8257)

The Greek word is used for different things, as follows: In Matt. 25:34; John 17:5; Acts 17:24; Eph. 1:4; and Rev. 13:8, it denotes the material universe as a system created by God. In John 1:29; 3:16; and Rom. 5:12, it denotes the fallen human race, corrupted and usurped by Satan to be the components of his evil world system. In 1 Pet. 3:3 it denotes adorning, ornaments. Here, as in John 15:19; 17:14; and James 4:4, it denotes an order, a set form, an orderly arrangement, hence, an ordered system (set up by Satan, the adversary of God), not the earth. God created man to live on the earth for the fulfillment of His purpose. But His enemy, Satan, in order to usurp the God-created man, formed an anti-God world system on this earth by systematizing men with religion, culture, education, industry, commerce, entertainment, etc., through men's fallen nature, in their lusts, pleasures, and pursuits, and even in their indulgence in necessities for their living, such as food, clothing, housing, and transportation (see note 312 in John 12). The whole of such a satanic system lies in the evil one (5:19). Not loving such a world is the ground for overcoming the evil one. Loving it just a little gives the evil one the ground to defeat and occupy us.

In this age, the world as in 1 John 2:15, an orderly system set up by Satan, is most used by Satan himself to draw many away from God, even if possible, including the saints. There has been a spiritual sense of spiritual warfare. I have been feeling this since the past few years. Today, in metro cities people are not bothered so much by religious and superstitious fanaticism. The real hindrance to their coming to the Lord is the world and its satanic systems. 

As  the church in Gurgaon and even personally, I have been praying for the salvation of many in this city. Though some really got saved and are growing in the divine life, but many are struggling their way to break through. Leave alone the unbelievers, even the  saved believers are, to some extend, affected by the sting of the world. The world in its various flavor-- in the form of money, lucrative jobs, overtime jobs, entertainment etc., are the poisonous sting that stung even the saved. A real spiritual battle indeed.

The experience of Romans 6 and 7 is  readily reckonable. Nevertheless, we are not without solution. Aptly timed as it is, the Holy Word for Morning Revival at this juncture is indeed a timely help; on the matter of growth in life by dealing with the heart. 

Do not love the world nor the things in the world is a matter of the heart. If, in our hearts, Christ  indeed has made His home as in Eph. 3:17, we would not be affected at all.  Though the love of Christ is there in our hearts, the love for many other things are also there, thereby contaminating the purity of our heart which is meant for Christ alone. Therefore, the need for the dealing of our heart. Once the heart is properly and thoroughly dealt with, and brought to an upright and normal condition, the love of the world and for the world would diminish. Our love for the Lord would then be deeper, sweeter, higher and glorious, then we'll be a light in the darkness of the world as the testimony of Jesus, shining as luminaries for others to see and know Jesus. 

This morning our longing prayer was that our hearts may be purified day by day, made  simple and single, knowing only to love the Lord Jesus Christ and not the world. This is my heart's desire and I deeply long to love the Lord more, even as I already loved the Lord. "Lord, I love you." This, the panacea for "Do not love the world nor the things in the world."