15 vDo not love the world or the things in the world. wIf anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. 16 For all that is in the world—xthe desires of the flesh and ythe desires of the eyes and pride of life3—is not from the Father but is from the world. 17 And zthe world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever.
Larry Crabb states " Satan's masterpiece is not the prostitute or the skid-row bum. It's the SELF-SUFFICIENT PERSON who has made life comfortable, who is adjusting well to the world and who longs only to be a little better - and a little better off - than he already is."
We are all susceptible to this same fate except for the grace of God in our lives. Posessions and Position go hand in hand like the pride of life and lust of the eyes.
Position, or the pride of life says "I must be seen and respected."
There have been many CEOs and leaders who have traded their integrity in order to protect their pride of life. Willing to engage even in criminal activity in order to maintain power and control. You may come to that cross road one day and may God give you the strength and the courage to walk away.
The lust of the eyes says "whatever I see, I want."
It is the ultimate consumer lifestyle. Satan does not seem to want us to hate a God, only to forget Him. Ugh....probably worse. In church yesterday we were reminded to let "the Jones's" win when it comes to keeping up with their lifestyle and to live our life in generosity no matter how much or how little we have. Let it be Lord in all of our lives that we would see this snare for what it is and be free from it.
Fight the traps of position and possessions with true humility. "The humble he teaches HIs ways.."Psalm 25 "The Lord lifts up the humble ..".Psalm 147.
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