“You adulterous people! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.” – James 4:4
If you’re a follower of Jesus, then you need to take some time to really wrestle with this simple, unequivocal truth! You must be brutally honest about yourself (and don’t think about ANYONE else). If the bulk of your time, energy, and thought is focused on the structures and things of the world: making a perfect home, building a stellar career, amassing a great fortune, or advancing a political agenda then there’s a good chance you’re a better friend to the world than you are to God! If your emotions (good and bad, high and low) are largely driven by what happens to stuff, things, and worldly affairs, then there’s a good chance that you’re a better friend to the world than you are to God. Think about that for a moment…
It’s not that Christians shouldn’t be concerned with matters of food and shelter, environment and politics, justice and mercy. It’s that we must be careful not to become overly concerned with them. We must remember that all that we see is temporary while our friendship with God is eternal. We must remember that this world is fallen and therefore will never be perfect until Jesus returns to perfect it. We must ground our emotions in our eternal relationship with God the Father, Jesus the Son, and the Holy Spirit rather than the passing fads and fortunes of the world. Our satisfaction must be in who we are as children of God, co-heirs with Christ, and eternal beings united with Christ. Not in our professional, academic, personal, or political standing or situation.
What gets the bulk of your time? Do you spend more time with God and His Word than you do with news, information, and entertainment? What gets the bulk of your energy and attention? Is it God’s Kingdom or yours? What does your credit card bill say you devote your money? To what do you devote most of your time on the device you’re currently using to read this post? What makes you extremely happy, extremely sad, or extremely mad? If your answer to these questions involves things of this world, you’re probably too friendly with the world and more distant and hostile toward God than you imagine. Consider this and #FollowJesus