Collectively, the epistles are an instruction book for Christianity. They instruct us on how we are to conduct ourselves both as individuals, and as the body of Christ. Among the common threads that run throughout the epistles are the teachings on how we can overcome worldliness. How do we overcome our love of the world, and learn to love the Lord? How do we suppress the desires of the flesh in order to do the will of God? For we cannot do both. As Jesus said, “No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money” (Matthew 6:24).
And, again, in Mark 4:18-20, Jesus said: "And others are the ones sown among thorns. They are those who hear the word, but the cares of the world and the deceitfulness of riches and the desires for other things enter in and choke the word, and it proves unfruitful. But those that were sown on the good soil are the ones who hear the word and accept it and bear fruit, thirtyfold, sixtyfold, and a hundredfold." Considering this, where do we place our cares and concerns? And, in what realm do we seek profit?
As with Christians of every age we are under a constant barrage of temptations, from the overt, to the subtly inviting. Therefore, we must, as children of God, constantly appraise the spiritual and worldly landscape to determine the proper course for our lives. What do we seek to possess? There is a worldly saying that “He who dies with the most toys wins.” Are we pursuing the gold and silver the world offers, the allure of power over others, or the favored position among our peers? Or, do we seek eternal treasures stored in heaven, set aside for those who overcome the world?
And, again, in Mark 4:18-20, Jesus said: "And others are the ones sown among thorns. They are those who hear the word, but the cares of the world and the deceitfulness of riches and the desires for other things enter in and choke the word, and it proves unfruitful. But those that were sown on the good soil are the ones who hear the word and accept it and bear fruit, thirtyfold, sixtyfold, and a hundredfold." Considering this, where do we place our cares and concerns? And, in what realm do we seek profit?
As with Christians of every age we are under a constant barrage of temptations, from the overt, to the subtly inviting. Therefore, we must, as children of God, constantly appraise the spiritual and worldly landscape to determine the proper course for our lives. What do we seek to possess? There is a worldly saying that “He who dies with the most toys wins.” Are we pursuing the gold and silver the world offers, the allure of power over others, or the favored position among our peers? Or, do we seek eternal treasures stored in heaven, set aside for those who overcome the world?