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Having been a teacher over the years, I have a deep
love for young people and a great concern for their lives and future
success. I have seen so many Christian young people shipwreck their lives
and limit their service to God because of bad choices. God has given me a
desire to share some insights He has given me over the years that may help
prevent some of these same mistakes. Therefore, I would like to start
putting some thoughts on this page that may help us all to become more
successful in our Christian walk and to be what God would have us all to
be.
I John 2:14-17: I have written to you,
fathers, because you know Him who has been from the beginning. I have
written to you, young men, because you are strong, and the word of God
abides in you, and, and you have overcome the evil one. 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. For all that is in the world, the lust of
the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of life, is not
from the Father, but is from the world. And the world is passing away,
and also its lusts; but the one who does the will of God abides forever.
[NAS]
According to I John 2:14-17 many conflicts in our
lives come from three major sources: the lust of the flesh, the lust of
the eyes and the pride of life. In this passage John is talking to both
fathers and young men, but I’m sure that John would say the same things to
mothers and young women as well. He is warning them that these things are
from the world and not from our Heavenly Father. These young people had
known Christ, were strong in their faith, and had overcome Satan in their
lives. The word of God was living in them. However, John was warning them
that the world could pull them away from their faith in God in these three
ways. He also told them that if they loved the world, the love of the
Father could not be in them. According to John the world is passing away
and all that goes with it. That includes the lust of the flesh, the lust
of the eyes and the pride of life. Only those who do the will of God will
live forever. Each time we make a choice in our lives, we are choosing to
let God have control or to let Satan have control – we are choosing the
kingdom of God or the kingdom of this world. We are choosing to let our
faith grow or to let it become weaker and weaker.
Over the next few weeks I would like to spend some
time defining these three things that can cause conflict in our lives and
weaken our faith. I would also like to discuss how to avoid these
pitfalls and become stronger as Christians.
Carolyn Crabtree
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