“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)
I know how difficult it is to live faithfully in our culture. We are living in a fallen and very confusing world. The enemy’s desire is for us to go with the flow rather than take a stand for what we know is going against scripture. Many Christians are lowering their standards to align more with the world than His Word. I am far from perfect and there have been times I have been guilty of this. There are so many distractions that put a wedge between us and God. When people turn away from God and His Word, it is hard to stay faithful and not be swayed by the ungodly things we are bombarded with throughout our day.
How do we fight these attacks? Hebrews 2:1 tells us, So we must listen very carefully to the truth we have heard, or we may drift away from it. Staying in God’s Word is more important today than ever. Small compromises cause us to drift away from God. The world is going to try and tempt you to live by its standards. This is why it is so critical to have God’s Word as our anchor to live by it.
The question I have to ask myself is, am I walking God’s way or the world’s way? Am I choosing to fit into our fallen world or living a life shining God’s love to those around me? How I think, speak and act are all a good indicator of how I am living. We may be mocked by unbelievers for our morals and values but we shouldn’t waiver or compromise on them. People are watching our behavior. We don’t know who is impacted by our attitudes, actions, or words. Standing firm in what we know is right can be a powerful influence to others.
Our society is drifting further and further away from God. As followers of Christ, we can’t stand on the sidelines and do nothing. Being a passive bystander isn’t going to bring people to Christ. It takes stepping outside our church walls to take action. We operate through our faith with God’s truth. This is what gives us the strength, courage, and guidance to stand up to what our Bible tells us is true.
It’s not always politically correct being a Christian. We must cling to God’s Word and gently point out biblically unsound doctrine that is being taught. There aren’t any loopholes in the Bible. God created man and woman. At birth He formed us in our mother’s womb. Scripture tells us right from wrong. In love, we need to be preaching this uncompromised truth of God to our wandering nation rebelling from the Word of God.
How can you love like Jesus in your corner of our broken world? What can you do this week to encourage someone that might be discouraged by what is happening around them? Do you have a favorite scripture or devotion book you might be able to share with them? If we all do our small part, our society CAN be transformed by the Gospel.
Father God,
Give me a right understanding of what Your Word says. Clothe me in the armor of right living. I ask for the Holy Spirit to guide me in Your truth this week. Forgive me when I seek answers from the world and not Your Word. I ask for strength to resist the enemy’s attempts to divert my focus off You. Give me boldness to speak truth to those who are drifting away from You. Fuel my passion to share the love of Jesus to the lost and broken in my sphere of influence. It is in the name of Jesus I pray these things. Amen.
June Verse
“My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you.”—John 15:12
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