Our First Love: Week 1

 "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. For all that is in the world--the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes ad pride in possessions--is not from the Father but is from the world. And the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God bides forever." 

1 John 2:15-17

What do you love about the world? Or, let me word it another way: what lie of the world has penetrated into who you are and how you think? As I've been discovering, often, our "loves for the world" disguise themselves beautifully. We go about our daily lives, completely unaware of where our heart sits.

Until a restless insecurity piques your attention. Perhaps the restlessness had been sitting there for weeks, months, and in my case, years. I recognized it over time like puzzle pieces being glued together; finally, the picture was more complete and visible to my human eye.

I began to see this common thread winding itself in and around most areas of my life, tightly holding all that I considered to be "me." For me, I "love" the story the world tells about personal worth and sufficiency. It's a lie that has gripped me for years, and though I've seen it in part for many years, the Lord finally led me to the starting point. I hold onto this lie and let it define my every day; it tells me if I've done "enough," and I believe it. But it's a lie, and it always will be.

As the Lord uncovered this area of my heart, I saw the goodness in taking time to really sit: to really let conviction do its work. I've been weighed down by this burden for years, but I wasn't calling it by name...because I hadn't allowed the Lord to name it.

Ponder today what your "love" may be.