28.09.2019

How should we succeed in renouncing the world?

The world is our habitat, in it we have to move, we are also influenced by it. The point is that we do not fall prey to the temptations of the world, but move in the spirit of God in the world.

Ephesians 2:1-4

The new life in Christ – a gift of the grace of God. 2 Even you who were dead through transgressions and sins, in whom you once lived after the course of this world according to the prince who rules in the air, the spirit that now works in the sons of obedience. 3 Among them, all of use once led our lives in the desires of our flesh and the thoughts: and we were naturally children of wrath, as were others. 4 But God, who is rich in mercy, has made alive through Christ for the sake of his great llove, with whom he has loved us. The world is like a river in which we are carried away, and it takes special strenght to escape this general pull. As Christians, we must resist the pull, fight against the tide. Many Christians do not know where togo, how to find the right side in the maelstrom to „swim“ to escape. The Christian is in this world, but not „of“ this world. We want to love God, so we can not do what the world wants. We are like a tree planted on the shore of the water – the water touches us, can sweep us away with all the temptations , desires, but the tree that is firmly anchored with its roots (man anchored in God), will not be carried away by the water.

Psalm 1

Blessed is he who does not walk according to the counsel of the wicked, still on the path of the sinners, still sits where the scoffers are sitting, but his pleasure is in the law of the Lord and think about his law day and night. 3 It is like a tree, planted on streams of water, who brings his fruit in his day, and his leaves do not wither, and everything he does is well. 4 Not so the godless, but they are like chaff, which the wind blows away. 5 Therefore the wicked will not stand in judgement, nor the sinners in the chirch of the righteous. 6 For the Lord knows the way of the righteous; but the way of the wicked leads to destruction.

John2: 15-17

And he made a scourge of ropes, and drove them all out of the temple, including the sheep and cattle, and he spilled the money on the changers, and overturned the tables, 16 And to the pigeon sellers he said: Get away from here! Do not make my father´s house a departmentstore ! 17 His disciples, however, remembered that it was written,“The zeal for your house has consumed me“. The house of God should not become a bazaar where haggling takes place. In the Lord´s house we pray, praise the Lord and ask the Holy Spirit for the power to resist the temptations. If we were safe in the love of the Lord, we can resist all challenges. Piece by piece, with the help of the Holy Spirit, we can free ourselves from wordly things. Of course, since we are in the world, we need food, drinks, clothes for our daily lives. It goes without saying that we have to take care of these things, but when these things become our only need, and we are only anxious to examine vainly whatclothes we buy, how indulge our desires with lavish revelry this not in the sense of following Christ. God says „Do not love this world!“

2 Corinthians 4:8

We are oppressed everywhere but not crushed; we are embarrassed, but not in despair.

Everything on earth is transient, only eternal life is forever. The evil lurks on us and wants us to bring it out; the weakness of the flesh is arrested in the nature of man. But since all the good we have comes from God, we can turn evil away from us.

Matthew 4:8

Again the devil takes him to a very high mountain, and shows him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory. The devil himself tried Jesus to try, but he got the right dissipation. With the power of God´s love, it is possible for us humans to give the devil a rebuff.

All who are born in God will outlive the world, defeat it. They will be „born again“.

Let us listen to the Holy Spirit, the light, that will help us to get out of the darkness !!!