LET GOD’S WORD BE MY STANDARD
TODAY’S SCRIPTURE
Do not love this world nor the things it offers you, for when you love the world, you do not have the love of the Father in you. For the world offers only a craving for physical pleasure, a craving for everything we see, and pride in our achievements and possessions. These are not from the Father, but are from this world. And this world is fading away, along with everything that people crave. But anyone who does what pleases God will live forever.
1 John 2:15-17 NLT
TODAY’S THOUGHT
I read the story of a nurse who was giving a group of first graders a tour of the local hospital. At the end of the tour the nurse asked the students if they had any questions. One young man spoke up and asked, “Why does everyone wash their hands so much?” After the laughter died down the nurse replies, “There are two reasons, one is we like to be clean. The second reason is we hate germs.” This should be true in our spiritual life as well. Because we love Father God, we want to please Him and therefore we hate the world and its priorities and behavior. I love my wife. Because I love her, I want to please her and make her feel secure and confident. Therefore, I will not flirt with other women, I will not watch pornography, I will not allow things in my life that would compromise my relationship with my wife. I can’t love the world and love God. In our present American culture, there are too many people claiming to be followers of Christ who are also in love with the world. We have “celebrity preachers” who seem to take their cues for dress and behavior more from the world than from God’s Word. Social media seems to drive the priorities and thoughts of many followers of Christ. If I dress like the world, talk like the world, and act like the world then how can I claim to be a follower of Jesus. My mom used to say, “If it walks like a duck and quacks like a duck, it is a duck regardless of what it calls itself.” Let’s decide that we will not allow ourselves to fall in love with the world.
TODAY’S PRAYER
Holy Spirit help me to fall in love with Jesus. Help me to trust You and follow God’s Word. May God’s Word be my standard of thought, speech, and behavior.
“Scroll down to share what you feel God is saying based on today’s reading.”