15 Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, love for the Father is not in them. 16 For everything in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—comes not from the Father but from the world. 17 The world and its desires pass away, but whoever does the will of God lives forever.REFLECTIONSWritten by Stephen SheadWhen I read, “Do not love the world or anything in the world,” I thought: But isn’t it OK to love the good things God has made in the world – nice food, beautiful scenery, and so on? But then John explains what he means by the world: “the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life.”Worldly, lustful desires, and the pride that comes from being seduced by the things of this life (possessions, lifestyle, looks, position). That’s such a real and helpful description of the forces that seek to turn me away from finding my joy and love and contentment in doing my Father’s will. That’s what John means by “the world”.The problem isn’t with desire itself. It’s the idolatry of letting desire for the things of this world take God’s place – so that good things turn into selfish lusts, instead of my heart being filled with love and affection and joy for the Giver of all good things.C. S. Lewis said it so well: “Indeed, if we consider the unblushing promises of reward and the staggering nature of the rewards promised in the Gospels, it would seem that Our Lord finds our desires, not too strong, but too weak. We are half-hearted creatures, fooling about with drink and sex and ambition when infinite joy is offered us, like an ignorant child who wants to go on making mud pies in a slum because he cannot imagine what is meant by the offer of a holiday at the sea. We are far too easily pleased.”Heavenly Father, you know my struggle with fleshly, worldly desires and pride. Thank you that Jesus died to take my guilt and shame. I want my desires to be truly satisfied in you – please help me by your Spirit, for Jesus’ sake. Amen.ABOUT THE AUTHORStephen is our Senior Minister.