Do Not Love the World

So, what did you think of Shane Clark from Laughing Child International?

Shane is a unique visionary, isn’t he? It is obvious the Lord has developed an exceptional vision through Shane to reach the children of South Africa. God will not deposit that much experience, education and wisdom in an individual without expecting a huge return on His investment.

Below are a few of his thoughts that spoke to me. I list these praying one or two sentences will stir your heart:

• “God is too big to be squeezed into your world. By His grace, He invites you to participate in His kingdom.”
• “God wants you more than you want Him.”
• “God wants to use you more than you want to be used by Him.”
• “Missions is not a program; missions is the heart of God.”
• The question is not whether God loves the world. The pressing question is whether we love the world. If we love the world, prove it.”
• “To be effective you must understand the big “T” Truth of God’s Word and the little “t” truth of God’s world.”
• “Faith is not about asking God for a new car. Faith is asking God if you need to sell your car or give it away for missions.”
• “The greatest failure is life is not that you are unsuccessful. The greatest failure in life is that you would be successful at something that does not matter.”
• “When I stand before God, I want to stand before Him with empty pockets.”

I expect I will be inviting Shane Clark to return again as our guest in the future. He and I plan to remain in contact with one another as the Lord broadens his Laughing Child Ministry into Latin America in 2007.

At the conclusion of the worship celebrations yesterday morning I informed you that I mistakenly thought God brought Shane Clark to CrossPoint to speak to directly to you. I did not realize God brought the man to CrossPoint to speak to specifically to me.

I can tell you without reservation that the Lord got my attention yesterday, and He did it on so many levels.

While reflecting on the events of yesterday, God spoke directly to me through His Word this morning. Like a bolt of light, God opened my eyes to the following words recorded by John:

Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For everything in the world—the cravings of sinful man, the lust of his eyes and the boasting of what he has and does—comes not from the Father but from the world. The world and its desires pass away, but the man who does the will of God lives forever.
1 John 2:15-17

Sometimes as believers and followers of Christ, we fall back in love with the world, don’t we? We are drawn into the trap through the “cravings of sinful man.” As James says so precisely says, “…but each one is tempted when, by his own evil desire, he is dragged away and enticed” (James 1:14).

This morning, I am both appalled and surprised by my worldliness. I know this “love for the world” did not happen over night. However, the conviction I am experiencing this morning seems to make it feel that way. Somehow, some way, I have allowed areas of my life slip back into a shallow worldly condition. There are earthly things I have been clinging to that have no eternal value. There are worldly agendas I have created that are not of God. There are secret sins I have committed and concealed, thinking God does not see them.

A fellow CrossPointer said the sweetest thing to me Sunday morning. He said, “Ryan, I can tell you are wrestling with something today. I promise to pray for you as you find out what it is.” What an encouraging word!

I want that CrossPointer to know his prayer has been answered. I now know what it is that I have been wrestling. I have been wrestling God. God confronted me with my worldliness yesterday and today. And every time we wrestle with God, He always wins.

There is so much more I could write about this morning, but I will stop for now. My confession of sin is starting to create a huge hole of vulnerability within me, and that makes me extremely uncomfortable.

As John implored us in 1 John 3, I now implore each of you—“Do not love the world!”