DEVOTION – DAY 313

I John 2:15-17 “Worldly Things Disappoints Us”

 

1 John 2:15-17 “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.”

 

Many people want to take pride in their achievements. That is why people try to break world records so that their names could be remembered. And there are people addicted to pornography. They have fallen for the lust of the flesh thinking that it is harmless because it does not involve sleeping with someone. Little do they realize that they are poisoning their minds and trivializing sex. There are people who love shopping. They find pleasure in buying the latest clothes, handbags, handphones, accessories, shoes and so on. They are the people who have fallen for the lust of their eyes. Such things belong to the realm of sin, a realm controlled by Satan. It is a world that is organized against God and His righteousness. It is a world where people are encouraged to go after achievements, sex and self-gratification, material things as if they will satisfy the deepest longings of their hearts. 1 John 2:15-17 tells us that such things are worldly and will never satisfy us. True satisfaction can only be found from doing God’s Will and loving God with all our hearts, minds, and with all our strength. This is the only thing that endures and stands the test of time.

 

Kris Wu or Wu Yi Fan is a Canadian Chinese rapper, actor, singer and model. He rose to fame as a member of a South Korean Boy Band, Exo. He later embarked on a successful solo career in China where he starred in several popular Chinese movies that gave him great fame and status. He was highly sought after as a brand promoter for luxury goods which brought him great wealth. Privately, he became addicted to sex and he soon became a serial rapist. After raping women, he would bribe them to keep them silent. He thought he was untouchable. But in the end, his secret became known and he was arrested in 2021. In November 2022, he was sentenced to 13 years in Prison in a Beijing court. After his sentence, he would be deported. He lost everything in the end, his fame, his reputation, his lucrative endorsements. He is an example of someone who loved the world. He did not know God. He thought fame, wealth and sex would satisfy him only to see he had been wrong.

 

Let us pray: Heavenly Father, thank you for warning us against going after worldly things. Help us to seek you and your Kingdom and righteousness always over the things of this world. We humbly ask this in the wonderful name of the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.

 

Questions

  1. How do the things of this world attract people? Why do people go after them easily and reject what God has to give them? Discuss.
  2. What warnings can you learn from this passage about the things of this world? Share.
  3. How have worldly things disappointed you in the past? Share.
  4. What should be your focus if it is not worldly things? Share.