Be Still And Know

1 John 2:15 'Do not love this world nor the things it offers you, for when you love the world, you do not have the love of the Father in you.' John’s concern here was very similar to that of Jesus when, in the sermon on the mount, he said that it was impossible to serve both God and money (Matthew 6:24). As believers, we have a choice to make: do we allow our energy to be expended on worldly interests or on God’s kingdom. We cannot possibly do both. So John encourages us to focus our attention on loving God and not on the temporary pleasures of the world. Does that mean we should all leave our jobs and homes and sit on a park bench reading the Bible? No, far from it! We are called to enjoy God’s world, to serve him in our jobs and homes and to live alongside those who know nothing of him but, as we do so, we need to keep our focus on the things that last. Pleasures, possessions and achievements have a very short shelf life. John writes in sharp language to encourage us to sort out our priorities. When our