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.
1 John 2:15
Divided love is spiritually dangerous. We all feel the pull of approval, comfort, possessions, pleasure, and control. John is describing something deeper than a passing temptation. He is describing a heart set on acquisition.
What do we cherish? What do we pursue? What loss would make life seem no longer worth living? Jesus called out those whose lives were filled with religious activity, but their hearts remained captivated by status and human praise. “I know that you do not have the love of God within you” (John 5:42).
Many of us speak about God while loving what competes with Him. We attend worship while arranging our lives around comfort. We defend biblical truth while craving the world’s recognition. John removes the veneer of spiritual piety and asks, If we love the Father?
Love for God does not mean that we never struggle with competing desires. It means that when those desires are exposed, we grieve them and return to Him. A divided heart cannot be healed by stronger willpower alone. We must encounter a greater love.
The more clearly we see Christ’s beauty, the less impressive the world becomes. The more deeply we receive the Father’s love, the less desperately we need the world’s approval. We cannot hold on to the best that the Lord offers until we loosen our grip on lesser loves.
Father, we confess that our hearts are often divided. We say we love You while still craving the approval, comfort, and control the world offers. Thank You for loving us faithfully and drawing us back when our affections wander. Help us see the beauty of Christ more clearly so that lesser loves lose their hold upon us. Make our hearts wholly Yours.
Letting Go of the Lesser,
eep
