The Pride of Life

1Jn 2:15 Do not love the world nor the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him,
1Jn 2:16 because all that which is in the world: the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.
1Jn 2:17 And the world is passing away, and its lust. But the one doing the will of God abides forever.

We’d all like to believe that our struggle with sin involves only external enemies. We’re willing to say that Satan is to blame for our sin. We’d be just as happy to blame the world- or any convenient scapegoat in the world- as long as it’s an external cause. As long as we don’t have to take the blame on ourselves.

But the ultimate culprit is always our own flesh. We cannot escape blame for our sin by saying, “The devil made me do it,” or “the world is to blame.”

Even our struggle with the world is a struggle that is fomented by inordinate desires that emanate from within ourselves. “All that is in the world [is] the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life.” Have you ever thought about that? That’s how Scripture defines “the world,” but those are actually sinful tendencies that come from within us.

We ourselves are ultimately to blame when inordinate worldly affections crowd out what should be a pure love for God and the things of God. Neither the world nor the devil could ever take advantage of us if our own flesh did not cooperate.

On this day...

• Psalm 24:3-6 - 2011
• Psalms 45:8 - 2009
• Ezekiel 34:26 - 2009
• Job 10:2 - 2009
• Genesis 24:63 - 2008
• John 9:7 - 2007
• volition - 2007
• Absolution - 2007
• Much Every Way - 2007
• Active Prayer - 2007
• Jeremiah 32:17 - 2007
• obsequiousness - 2007
• Luke 6:45 - 2007
• WHAT MY OBEDIENCE TO GOD COSTS OTHER PEOPLE - 2007
• INTERCESSORY INTROSPECTION - 2007