TODAY’S VERSE
1 John 2:15
Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. (ESV)
Sometimes, when we hear the phrase “love the world,” we think about people who have turned their backs on God, stopped attending church, or want nothing to do with their faith. But the truth is, you can love Jesus, attend church every Sunday, serve in ministry, and still allow the things of this world to take first place in your heart.
I grew up singing The B-I-B-L-E, got baptized at 12 years old, won an award for “being kind to all my peers” (yes, this was a real award in my small high school!), and I met my husband at a college youth group. But as I’ve gotten older, I’ve become more aware that it’s so easy to measure my worth by more than my identity in Christ. I hate to admit that over the years I’ve let the gifts He's given me become more important than the Giver.
Scott Nickell often says, "When a good thing becomes an ultimate thing, it becomes a destructive thing."
Think about that for a moment. Family is a good thing. Serving in the church is a good thing. Our careers, friendships, hobbies, and even our desire to help others are good things. But when any of those things becomes the thing we can’t live without, the thing that defines our worth, or the thing we consistently put before God, we’ve allowed a good thing to become an ultimate thing, or an idol.
My idols don't always look like golden statues. Sometimes they look like a packed calendar, a successful career, a perfect family, a desire for approval, or even a ministry I love so much that I forget the One I’m serving.
God isn't asking us to stop loving the people and enjoying the blessings He’s given us. He’s asking us to love Him more than anything else. The problem isn't having good things in our lives; it's allowing those good things to take God's rightful place in our hearts.
APPLICATION
Take an honest look at your heart, which is usually mirrored by the things that fill your schedule. What receives your greatest attention, affection, time, or energy? Is there a good thing that has quietly become more important to you than God? Ask Him to help you put that thing back in its proper place — not necessarily by removing it from your life, but by surrendering it to Him.
PRAYER
Father, thank You for the many good gifts You have placed in my life. Forgive me for the times I’ve loved Your blessings more than I’ve loved You. Help me recognize the idols I may have allowed into my heart, even when they look like good things. I pray that I can surrender those things fully to You. In Jesus’ name, amen.