What do you love?

1 John 2:15-17 is a great little passage, it reminds us that actually we are to be counter cultural especially in our relationship to the world.

John calls his readers and us to a mutually exclusive love. Notice what John says (15) you can’t love the world and love God. The world is a big theme in John (23x) and it is seen as everything that is opposition to God. To love the world is to live for the world – it is about setting your heart on it.

We live in a dangerous place, as did John's readers because we live in the world, and it competes for our love. That is what advertising is about - it is designed to make us love and want the world. The danger is that without being aware of it we become ensnared by it like the frog that remains in water which is gradually boiled.

The world – human systems, morality etc… are not to be loved by those who love God. (16) Makes even clearer 3 of the dangers the world brings: literally the desire of the flesh (living for physical pleasure), the lust of the eyes (Advertising, making us want; be it sex, a certain lifestyle or better bananas) and lastly pride in what we have and do (or maybe in waht our family, children, grandchildren have or do).

John reminds us we live in enemy occupied territory and the big question he poses is do I find myself loving the world?

But John also poinst out another mutual exclusive in these verses; Mutually exclusive endings.(17) John calls believers to wake up, to recognise the danger of loving the world but he also reminds them of the mutually exclusive endings of these things. In fcat bearing in mind the temporary nature of the world and its loves will help us. The question is will you live for things that are temporary or will you live for things that last forever?

What do I find myself living for? What do I find myself loving?