DEVOTION – DAY 402

1 John 2:16-17 “Avoid Things Of The World”

1 John 2:16-17 “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.”

The word “world” in v16 does not refer to the physical world we live in. It refers to the realm of sin that is controlled by the devil. It is a realm that goes against everything that God stands for. The apostle John tells us in v16 that everything that is sinful, whether it is lusting after someone of the opposite sex, or greed – that is what the lust of the eyes means, or the sin of pride, all comes from the devil. In v17, those that allow sin to control their lives will not survive for they will face judgment before the Lord. But those who resist temptations to sin with God’s help, and who does the will of God, will receive eternal life. 

Edison Chen is a Chinese Canadian singer and actor. During the early 2000’s he was one of the top singer actors in Hong Kong with fans across China, US, Canada and Taiwan. He had fame, power, money and everything he wanted in life and he was only in his 20’s at that time. But in 2008, scandalous photos of him being intimate with several well-known Hong Kong actresses and celebrities surfaced on the internet and the photos went viral. Initially, Edison denied that the photo images were real. He claimed that someone had photoshopped the photos. He denied ever having any intimate relations with these women. But in the end, the police investigated the case and concluded that the photos were genuine. The photos were posted by a computer technician who had repaired Edison’s laptop when it malfunctioned. The technician admitted that he found the photos in the hard drive of Edison’s laptop. Edison had to confess that he had fallen into the sin of the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes. He apologized for his behavior and withdrew from acting and singing in 2008. His addiction to sin continued. In 2011, photos were leaked of him being intimate with an underage girl. His sins have damaged his career and reputation badly. To this day, his career has not recovered.

Contrast this with John Allen Chau, a Chinese American young man who wanted to devote his life to bringing the gospel to remote regions of the world. In 2018, he illegally entered Sentinel Island, an island in the Andaman Sea that was only inhabited by aboriginal people. He wanted to bring the gospel to the people there and to befriend them. He underestimated the danger and he was killed by the native people. He may have perished but now, he is spending eternity with the Lord.

Let us pray: Heavenly Father, thank you for warning us against things of this world that are not from you. Please help us to guard our hearts and minds against these temptations to sin. We humbly ask this in the precious name of the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.

Questions

  1. What are some of the things of this world that seem to attract and distract you?
  2. Why do these things seem so attractive to you and cause you to sin? 
  3. How can you resist them and how can you do God’s will for you instead?
  4. Share a recent experience where you were able to resist a temptation to sin.