Be diligent to come to me quickly; for Demas has forsaken me, having loved this present world…

  - 2 Timothy 4.9, 10

No other outward thing ought to be loved, according to the reckoning of truth, except eternity and the eternal will, which is inspired and quickened by the Eternal, Wonderful, Ineffable, Invisible, Incomprehensible, Who fills all things and passes beyond all things, Who is present and yet eludes our grasp.

  - Columbanus, Sermon III, Irish, 7th century[1]

The greatest obstacle to our being used of God in advancing His rule of righteousness, peace, and joy in the Spirit is our love for the material world.

If gaining and enjoying this world’s goods or favor is the driving force for our lives, then Kingdom-seeking will never be anything more or other than a means to that end.

The desire for material comforts takes many forms: the desire for things, fear of being criticized or ostracized, diversions and entertainments, desire for advancement and esteem, love of ease, laziness – love of outward things and comforts in an unceasing array of forms.

If we love the world more than we love God, we will desert – that’s the word, whether it takes the form of neglect or indifference to, or half-baked commitment to – the cause for which Christ died and saints risked their lives and wellbeing at just the moment we most need to defend it.

But we cannot improve love for God without serious effort. Loving God involves seeking Him in His Word and prayer, waiting on Him throughout the day, and being obedient to all that He commands. Absent these things in your life, and love of the material world will fill the vacuum in your soul.

We learn to love God by a life of faithfully focusing on and following Him. The more we set our minds and hearts on knowing and loving God, and the more we seek Him in His Word and prayer, the easier it will be to overcome love for the world, and the less likely we will be to desert Him when push comes to shove in some conversation with an unbelieving friend, or in the face of some heavy temptation.

Today you will feed and cherish one or the other of these strong affections: love for God, or love for the world. Which will it be?

Psalm 66. 1-4, 17-20 (Regent Square: “Angels from the Realms of Glory”)
Shout for joy to God, all people, sing the glory of His Name!
Give Him glorious praise and say, “How great Your pow’r and great Your fame!”
All the earth shall worship gladly as they praise Your glorious Name.

When we cried to You, You answered, filled our mouths with highest praise.
Let not sin abide within us, lest we languish all our days.
Bless the Lord, Who hears our pleadings and preserves His love always.

I love You, Lord; help me to love You more, and keep me from loving the world and the things of the world.

T. M. Moore, Principal
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All Psalms for singing from The Ailbe Psalter. Scripture taken from the New King James Version. © Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.