“The Bible is full of caution lights warning us when we are about to head off course and into spiritual trouble. John issues one of those warnings to us, “Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him” (1 John 2:15).
…I have identified four flashing “caution lights” that should warn us that we might indeed have gotten into an illicit love affair with the world and the things of this world.
Caution Light #1
We are falling in love with the world…when we are never quite satisfied with what we have. (Ecclesiastes 5:10; 6:7)
Caution Light #2
We are falling in love with the world…when the things we own end up owning us. (Matthew 6:24; 2 Timothy 4:10; Luke 12:15)
Caution Light #3
We are falling in love with the world…when worry about losing our things is disrupting our inner peace. (Philippians 4:11-12; Hebrews 13:5)
Caution Light #4
We are falling in love with the world…when our longing to be there is diminished by our affection for what we have here. (2 Corinthians 5:8; Matthew 13:22)
…As we continue to live in this materialistic culture of ours, may we all keep our eyes carefully peeled for these four caution lights so we might not unintentionally end up becoming an illicit lover of the world and the things of the world.”
Jay Link in “Do You Love the World?” blog post on August 5, 2010.
I chose this meditation with four points because, by God’s grace, today marks the fourth anniversary of daily Meditations from the Generosity Monk. After four years, my focus remains the same:
The purpose of these daily meditations from this contemplative consultant is to challenge the steward of Jesus Christ to think about biblical stewardship principles and their application to everyday life.
After four years of daily reading, not a morning goes by that I am not inspired by quotes of saints through the centuries (as well as modern voices) linked to Christian generosity. I pray they inspire you as well.