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. Dear children, the last hour is here. You have heard that the Antichrist is coming, and already many such antichrists have appeared. From this we know that the last hour has come. These people left our churches, but they never really belonged with us; otherwise they would have stayed with us. When they left, it proved that they did not belong with us. But you are not like that, for the Holy One has given you his Spirit, and all of you know the truth. So I am writing to you not because you don’t know the truth but because you know the difference between truth and lies. And who is a liar? Anyone who says that Jesus is not the Christ. Anyone who denies the Father and the Son is an antichrist. Anyone who denies the Son doesn’t have the Father, either. But anyone who acknowledges the Son has the Father also. So you must remain faithful to what you have been taught from the beginning. If you do, you will remain in fellowship with the Son and with the Father. And in this fellowship we enjoy the eternal life he promised us. I am writing these things to warn you about those who want to lead you astray. But you have received the Holy Spirit, and he lives within you, so you don’t need anyone to teach you what is true. For the Spirit teaches you everything you need to know, and what he teaches is true—it is not a lie. So just as he has taught you, remain in fellowship with Christ. And now, dear children, remain in fellowship with Christ so that when he returns, you will be full of courage and not shrink back from him in shame. Since we know that Christ is righteous, we also know that all who do what is right are God’s children.
1 John 2:15-29 NLT
V. 17 “The world and its desires pass away, but whoever does the will of God lives forever.”
To whom or to what are you loyal? Sometimes our thought patterns reveal loyalty to achieving success, such as: more money, influence, popularity, career growth, health, prosperity, and talent.
Many things contend for our loyalty – which begins with our minds. What John is saying about the “world” (v. 15) is that anything that leads us away from the Father needs to be replaced by the love of Jesus. As His followers, we have been anointed by the Holy Spirit (v. 27), God Himself. Our loyalty needs to remain to Him. How do we do this?
“Remain in Him.” (v. 27) Be loyal to God by having Him be the main topic of your thoughts. Remain in Him through prayer, speaking and listening. When negative thoughts arise, remain in Him. When tempted to stray or entertain a thought from the pattern of unholy thinking, remain in Him. Another way to remain, keep God’s promises in the forefront of your mind: you are loved more than the sparrow (Matthew 10:29-30); God is with you always and will give you strength (Isaiah 41:10); Christ’s perfect sacrifice covers all your sin (1 John 1:9); you will live with God forever because you believe in Him (John 3:16). With God as your constant companion, He will transform your thinking.
Which practice will you rely upon today to keep your thoughts loyal to God?
