Tag Archives: the lust of his eyes and the boasting of what he has and does–comes not from the Father but from the world. The world and its desires pass away

Do Not Love The World Or Anything In The World

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Discipleship Devotional Study Guide - Becoming Like Christ - Day 57 - 1 John 2:15-17 - Do Not Love The World Or Anything In The World - Growing As Disciples

Discipleship Devotional Study Guide – Becoming Like Christ – Day 57 – 1 John 2:15-17 – Do Not Love The World Or Anything In The World – Growing As Disciples

Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For everything in the world–the cravings of sinful man, the lust of his eyes and the boasting of what he has and does–comes not from the Father but from the world. The world and its desires pass away, but the man who does the will of God lives forever. 1 John 2:15-17 (NIV)  

The World 

The world is an enticing place. When did you discover that? I know, I know, it should come as no huge revelation to me that the world is an enticing place. But for some reason my eyes were blind to the fact that I have been captivated by all that the world has to offer. Materialism and a continual desire for more has been a nearly constant temptation for me. The world seems to bombard me with the idea that I must have the latest and greatest thing, or I will be incomplete and unfulfilled. The world and all its cravings and lusts ask me, “How could I possibly live without this?” The continual desire for more is bad enough but trying to pursue and fulfill that desire could easily cause my life to go off course. I could misspend my entire life by pursuing all that the world has to offer. Why won’t that happen to you? I love you. I want what you want. I want to live the life you have called me to live. I want to do what is pleasing in your sight. Your love for me and my love for you is guarding and guiding my life. I am on the path of life, walking with you. Yes, you are. It is the utmost desire of my heart to know and love you with all my heart and mind and soul and strength. That is very good.

Let me ask you a question. I’m listening. How is our love for each other guarding and guiding your life? I am drawn near to you. You draw near to me. I want to enter into your presence. I want to listen to your voice. I want to hear your instructions. I want to follow your guidance. In your presence you have set me on fire to love, follow and serve you. You have given me a passionate desire to live my life with and for you. In your presence, you are making me to be like you. You are helping me to think your thoughts, speak your words and take your actions. Yes, I am. My desire for you has pushed the desire for the world out of my heart and mind and life. The more devoted I am to you, the less interested I am in the world. That is very good. 

Heavenly Father, I know that I have been in love with the world. I have loved the things of this life. Help me to make a clean break with the world so I can be fully devoted to loving, following and serving you with all my heart and mind and soul and strength. Amen

Key Question… What are signs or symptoms of someone who has fallen in love with the world?

Living It Out…  Make a break from the world and be devoted to loving, following and serving your Heavenly Father.

Seeing It Happen…  Have faith that your Heavenly Father’s love for you and yours for Him will protect you from loving the world.

Get Ready To Share…  Share with another person or your small group how your love for your Heavenly Father causes you to obey Him.

Prayer To Bless Others… May you make a clean break with the world so you can love, follow and serve your Heavenly Father.

For today’s complete 4 page Discipleship Devotional Study Guide click here:

Becoming Like Christ – Day 57 – 1 John 2-15-17 – Do Not Love The World Or Anything In The World – 4 Page Discipleship Devotional Study Guide

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Individual users may save the Discipleship Devotional Study Guide to their desktop for private use. All the blanks in the study guides are fields that allow typed responses. To use the fields on the study guide you may need to open the guide with a free version of adobe reader.

By Jon Ulrich © All rights reserved                                                        Copying not permitted                       www.GrowingAsDisciples.com

Do Not Love The World Or Anything In The World

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The Virtuous Life - Day 222 - 1 John 2:15-17- Do Not Love The World Or Anything In The World - Growing As Disciples

The Virtuous Life – Day 222 – 1 John 2:15-17- Do Not Love The World Or Anything In The World – Growing As Disciples

Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.  For everything in the world–the cravings of sinful man, the lust of his eyes and the boasting of what he has and does–comes not from the Father but from the world.  The world and its desires pass away, but the man who does the will of God lives forever. 1 John 2:15-17 (NIV)

I Love You

That is what I most want to say to you. What do you most want to say to me? I love you. How much do you love me? I love you with all my heart and mind and soul and strength. I love you with all that is within me. Having said that, I still have a powerful and passionate and persistent desire to ask you to fan the flames of my love for you. I want my love for you to completely overpower the love I once had for the things of this world. I want my love for you to guard and guide the entire course of my life. I want all my thoughts and words and actions to be rooted in my love for you. I want the priorities of my life to be formed by my love for you. I want my love for you to make me able to know you intimately. I want my love for you to help me to hear your voice as I walk through life with you. In other words, I don’t want to love you a little bit. In other words, I don’t to know you somewhat. In other words, I don’t want to half-heartedly live my life with and for you. I want to be fully devoted to you today, tomorrow, and forever. My life is at your disposal. I am at your service. I will follow you to where you lead me. I will do whatever you ask of me. This is how much I love you. This is how much more I want to love you. You have a very good prayer that you have been and will continue to pray, of that, I am sure. 

Let me ask you a question. I’m listening. Where did this love for me, that is now in you come from? You loved me. I now love you. Your love for me rescued me from a life without you. Your love for me drew me to yourself. Your love for me, placed within me, a love for you. My love for you came from you as a gift. That is correct. That is right. That is true. Do you have any doubts about my hearing and answering this prayer of yours? Will I fan the flames of your love for me? Will you come to know and love me more and more as you continue to live your life with and for me? Will your love for me continue to guard and guide the entire course of your life? Will Your love for me make you able to accomplish my purposes and plans for your life? Yes, I believe that you will fan the flames of my love for you. Yes, I believe that you will help me to come to know and love you more and more as I live my life with and for you. Yes, I believe that my love for you will make me able to accomplish the purposes and plans you have for my life. That is very good. Keep moving forward with me. Keep on loving and following and serving me. Yes Lord, I will. That will be very good.

Lord, I have had misplaced priorities. I have pursued all that the world had to offer. I have often misspent my life on what will not last. Forgive me. Help my love for you to overpower any old desire to love things of this world. I am fully devoted to loving you. Amen

Key Question…  How is your love for God helping you to reprioritize how you spend your life?

Living It Out…  Let your love for God overpower your old desire to love the things of this world.

Seeing It Happen…  Have faith that your love for God will overpower your old desires to love the things of this world.

Get Ready To Share…  Share with another person or your small group how your love for God is overpowering your desires for worldly things.

Prayer To Bless Others…  May your love for God replace the love you once had for the world.

For today’s complete 4 page Discipleship Devotional Devotional Study Guide click here

The Virtuous Life – Day 222 – 1 John 2-15-17 – Do Not Love The World Or Anything In The World – 4 Page Discipleship Devotional Study Guide

Please consider sharing these devotionals with others through the social media you use.

Individual users may save the Discipleship Devotional Study Guide to their desktop for private use. All the blanks in the study guides are fields that allow typed responses. To use the fields on the study guide you may need to open the guide with a free version of adobe reader.

By Jon Ulrich © All rights reserved                                                        Copying not permitted                                                                                    http://www.GrowingAsDisciples.com

Lives Forever

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Discipleship Devotional Study Guide - Promises - Day 323 - 1 John 2:15-17 - Lives Forever - Growing As Disciples

Discipleship Devotional Study Guide – Promises – Day 323 – 1 John 2:15-17 – Lives Forever – Growing As Disciples

Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.  For everything in the world–the cravings of sinful man, the lust of his eyes and the boasting of what he has and does–comes not from the Father but from the world.  The world and its desires pass away, but the man who does the will of God lives forever. 1 John 2:15-17 (NIV)

Love For You

I do not love the world. I do not love the things of this world. I no longer have sinful cravings that come from this life. My eyes are not filled with lust. My heart is not full of boasting. Nothing from this world is motivating my life or filling my desire. What is your desire? What is motivating your life? What has turned you away from pursuing all that this life would offer you? What has given you a new and higher and better perspective? Why is your life on a different course? My love for you has filled me with desire. I want to know you. I want to love you. I want to live my life with and for you. I want to live in an intimate relationship with you. I want to attentively listen to you. I want to follow your guidance. I want to receive your instruction. I want to be able to know and do your will. I want to follow you to where you lead me. I want to do whatever you ask of me. Your love for me and my love for you has turned me away from what is alluring in this life. I will no longer pursue what has no lasting value. I will pursue you and the life you are calling me to live. My heart and mind and life are focused on you. I am living from a heavenly perspective. I want to store up treasure in heaven with you. I want to bear fruit for your kingdom and bring glory to your name. You have very good desires in you. That is because they have come from you. That is true.

Do you know what has happened to you? Do you know where you are on your journey? I am not sure what you mean. Your life of salvation has already begun. My Holy Spirit is in you. You are walking through life with me. Even though life in your current body will end; you will one day come to live forever in heaven with me. My Holy Spirit in you is guiding and guarding you and giving you good work to do, that will last for all eternity. This is the life of salvation I have given you to live now and forever. Thank you, Lord.

Lord, things of this world mean nothing to me. I will not live for the cravings of sin. Instead, my love for you has given me the desire to know and do your will. I will want to please you; in all I do. Thank you that my life of salvation with you has already begun. Amen

Key Question…  Why is doing the will God far more important than anything else you could do with your life?

Living It Out…  Let your love for God give you the desire and ability to know and do His will.

Seeing It Happen…  Have faith that you will live in heaven with God for all of eternity.

Get Ready To Share…  Share with another person or your small group how your love for God is giving you the desire to know and do His will.

Prayer To Bless Others…  May your love for God give you the desire and ability to know and do His will.

For today’s complete 4 page Discipleship Devotional Study Guide click here:

Promises – Day 323 – 1 John 2-15-17 – Lives Forever – 4 Page Discipleship Devotional Study Guide

Please consider sharing these devotionals with others through the social media you use.

Individual users may save the Discipleship Devotional Study Guide to their desktop for private use. All the blanks in the study guides are fields that allow typed responses. To use the fields on the study guide you may need to open the guide with a free version of adobe reader.

By Jon Ulrich © All rights reserved                                                        Copying not permitted                                                                                    www.GrowingAsDisciples.com

For today’s complete 4 page Discipleship Devotional Study Guide click here:

Promises – Day 323 – 1 John 2-15-17 – Lives Forever – 4 Page Discipleship Devotional Study Guide

Please consider sharing these devotionals with others through the social media you use.

Individual users may save the Discipleship Devotional Study Guide to their desktop for private use. All the blanks in the study guides are fields that allow typed responses. To use the fields on the study guide you may need to open the guide with a free version of adobe reader.

By Jon Ulrich © All rights reserved                                                        Copying not permitted                                                                                    www.GrowingAsDisciples.com

Does The Will Of God

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Discipleship Devotional Study Guide – Life - 1 John 2:15-17 - Does The Will Of God - Growing As Disciples

Discipleship Devotional Study Guide – Life – 1 John 2:15-17 – Does The Will Of God – Growing As Disciples

Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For everything in the world–the cravings of sinful man, the lust of his eyes and the boasting of what he has and does–comes not from the Father but from the world. The world and its desires pass away, but the man who does the will of God lives forever.  1 John 2:15-17 (NIV)

Love Of The Father

Loving the world, that is something I don’t want to do. This world is passing away. My days in this life are short. There is nothing from this life that will last forever. There is nothing from this life that I can take with me. Everything of value that I now see will one day amount to nothing. A lot of what I have pursued will have been like a mirage on the road ahead. I will have chased after nothing. I don’t desire that kind of life anymore. I want my life to have counted for something. I want my life to have mattered. I want to look back from heaven knowing that my life on this earth was well spent. So, I don’t love this world. I don’t crave all that this world has to offer.  I don’t lust after this world’s delicacies.  I take no pride in what I have or in what I have done.

What do you really want most of all? Most of all I want to know and love you. Loving you or loving the world may seem like a hard choice to some. It isn’t to me. Why is that? I have tasted of your goodness. I have felt your kindness. I have experienced your love. I have received your forgiveness and cleansing. I know that I am your child. I have been accepted into your family. You are my Father and my God. Yes, I am. There is no place I would rather be than in your presence. There is nothing I would rather hear than your voice. There is nothing I would rather see than your glory. There is nothing I would rather do than to love, follow and serve you. I have no greater joy than to know that I have been used by you. I am at your disposal. I want to bear an abundance of fruit for your kingdom and glory. One day I want to hear you say, “Well done, good and faithful servant.” Only you can make that possible. Only you can make me faithful. Yes, I can.

It is my prayer that I will be able to receive all that you want to give me. It is my prayer that I will do all that you have asked of me. Do you believe that I will hear and answer your prayers? Yes, I do believe. Why do you believe?  It is unlike me not to crave all that the world has to offer. It is unlike me not to lust after what I have seen with my eyes. It is unlike me not to boast about what I have or what I have done. You have changed my heart and mind and desires. Yes, I have. You have made me hungry and thirsty for you. Your love for me has made me to want to love you. I want to live in your love. Your love has filled my heart and my mind and my soul. Yes, it has. I will live my life with and for you. Yes, you will.

Lord, I love you with all my heart and mind and soul and strength. It is my desire to both know and do your will. Guard my heart and mind from loving the world or anything in it. Help me to do your will in all that I think, say and do. Amen

For today’s complete 4 page Discipleship Devotional Study Guide click here:

Life – 1 John 2-15-17 – Does The Will Of God – 4 Page Discipleship Devotional Study Guide

Please consider sharing these devotionals with others through the social media you use.

Individual users may save the Discipleship Devotional Study Guide to their desktop for private use. All the blanks in the study guides are fields that allow typed responses. To use the fields on the study guide you may need to open the guide with a free version of adobe reader.

By Jon Ulrich © All rights reserved                   Copying not permitted                      www.GrowingAsDisciples.com

Do Not Love The World

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Discipleship Devotional Study Guide - Love - 1 John 2:15-17 - Do Not Love The World - Growing As Disciples

Discipleship Devotional Study Guide – Love – 1 John 2:15-17 – Do Not Love The World – Growing As Disciples

Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For everything in the world–the cravings of sinful man, the lust of his eyes and the boasting of what he has and does–comes not from the Father but from the world. The world and its desires pass away, but the man who does the will of God lives forever. 1 John 2:15-17 (NIV)

The World 

At one time, I was captivated by the world. I loved the world and everything in it. I wanted everything that the world had to offer. I chased after every comfort. I sought every pleasure. I lived entirely for my own gratification. I was filled with sinful cravings. My eyes allured me into lustful desires. I boasted about all that I had and all that I had done. I was pleased with myself and with all my accomplishments. I’m sure that I was very full of myself. I was hard to like. I was difficult to be around. I know that I was not living in ways that were pleasing to you. You got that right.

What happened to you? What has changed? Why are you no longer pursuing the world and all that it has to offer? The world never satisfied me. My life became a continual desire for more of what I did not have. I was not content. I was restless. I was empty. The next latest and greatest thing never brought me pleasure. That’s not all. What else? Pursuing the world and all that it has to offer leads to a broken and bruised and battered life. A life cannot go unscathed while pursing sinful cravings and lustful desires. A life cannot be healthy and whole when it is filled with prideful boasting about what one has or what one has done. No, it cannot. There is painful price to pay for living that kind of life. Yes, there is. Your word says that, the “wages of sin is death.” Yes, it does. Death was an apt description of my life. Death well describes a life that is lived apart from you. That’s right. 

You did not leave me to live the life I was living. You did not let me continue on the path that led away from you. No, I did not. You pursued me. You reached out to me. You showed me your love. You let me taste of your kindness and mercy. Your love drew me to you. Your love changed the course of my life. Yes, it did. Your life is continuing to change the course of my life everyday as I continue to follow and serve you. You are the Savior and Lord of my life. Your love for me and my love for you is now overpowering all my old sinful cravings and lustful desires. Yes, it is. Your love for me has humbled me. Your love has bowed me down. Now, my only boast is that I know and love you. It is now the pursuit of my life to follow and obey you. That is very good.

Lord, your love for me has drawn me away from loving the things of this world. Your love for me has caused me to love you with all my heart, mind, soul and strength. Your love has given me the desire to know your will and walk in your ways. Amen

For today’s complete 4 page Discipleship Devotional Study Guide click here:

Love – 1 John 2-15-17 – Do Not Love The World – 4 Page Discipleship Devotional Study Guide

Individual users may save the Discipleship Devotional Study Guide to their desktop for private use. All the blanks in the study guides are fields that allow typed responses. To use the fields on the study guide you may need to open the guide with a free version of adobe reader.

Please consider sharing these devotionals with others through the social media you use.

By Jon Ulrich © All rights reserved                   Copying not permitted                      www.GrowingAsDisciples.com