Friendship with the World
James 4:1-5
4 Where do wars and fights come from among you? Do they not come from your desires for pleasure that war in your members? 2 You lust and do not have. You murder and covet and cannot obtain. You fight and war. Yet[a] you do not have because you do not ask. 3 You ask and do not receive, because you ask amiss, that you may spend it on your pleasures. 4 Adulterers and[b] adulteresses! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Whoever therefore wants to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.
So, are you a friend or an enemy of God? Now, before you shout out, “I’m not an enemy of God”, we’re not speaking of intent, malice or hostility; we’re talking about our focus in life. Where is your focus? Is it on the things of God or is it on the things of the world? It’s a fair question.
Now before you get angry with me, I’m not saying there is anything wrong with having things, or even desiring things like a nice car or house. But, do you spend more time thinking about the things of God, or do you spend much more time thinking about the things you desire, like that car, house, or even hanging with your friends?
Satan is a very smart and cleaver enemy, and has all kinds of ways of distracting us from the really important things; like reading our Bible, praying, meditating on the things of God, and even distracting us from quality time with family. We are so busy with our jobs, which we need of course, our favorite TV shows, our “Smart Phones”, our tables, our YouTube videos, etc., etc., etc. We are moving at such a fast pace in this world, that often the most important things get left undone. Now, please keep in mind as I am pointing at you with these words, I have three fingers pointing back at me. I’m guilty of not focusing enough on the things of God more than I’d like to admit, but at least I’m aware of it which helps me to slow down and focus more on the important things.
The thing we all need to understand is we are always focusing on something, and the things we focus most on become the things that are most important to us. If we only focus on God a couple hours a week when we go to church, and maybe a few minutes in prayer each day; then most of our focus is on the things of the world. The parable below helps explain what happens when our focus lies more on the world and less on God.
Mark 4:1-9 & 13-20
The Parable of the Sower
4 And again He began to teach by the sea. And a great multitude was gathered to Him, so that He got into a boat and sat in it on the sea; and the whole multitude was on the land facing the sea. 2 Then He taught them many things by parables, and said to them in His teaching:
3 “Listen! Behold, a sower went out to sow. 4 And it happened, as he sowed, that some seed fell by the wayside; and the birds of the air[a] came and devoured it. 5 Some fell on stony ground, where it did not have much earth; and immediately it sprang up because it had no depth of earth. 6 But when the sun was up it was scorched, and because it had no root it withered away. 7 And some seed fell among thorns; and the thorns grew up and choked it, and it yielded no crop. 8 But other seed fell on good ground and yielded a crop that sprang up, increased and produced: some thirtyfold, some sixty, and some a hundred.”
9 And He said to them,[b] “He who has ears to hear, let him hear!”
The Parable of the Sower Explained
13 And He said to them, “Do you not understand this parable? How then will you understand all the parables? 14 The sower sows the word. 15 And these are the ones by the wayside where the word is sown. When they hear, Satan comes immediately and takes away the word that was sown in their hearts. 16 These likewise are the ones sown on stony ground who, when they hear the word, immediately receive it with gladness; 17 and they have no root in themselves, and so endure only for a time. Afterward, when tribulation or persecution arises for the word’s sake, immediately they stumble. 18 Now these are the ones sown among thorns; they are the ones who hear the word, 19 and the cares of this world, the deceitfulness of riches, and the desires for other things entering in choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful. 20 But these are the ones sown on good ground, those who hear the word, accept it, and bear fruit: some thirtyfold, some sixty, and some a hundred.”
If our focus is more on the things of the world, even though we have happy Jesus moments, they will not stand when trials, temptations and persecutions arise. We have a carnal nature, and if we have not totally surrendered to our Savior and taken on his nature, we will not stand. That is why it is so important that we spend a lot of time focused on God. He doesn’t expect us to sit around like a bunch of monks, but he needs to be a part of every aspect or our lives, and that can only happen if we are focused on him and not the things of the world.
Another set of scripture that should have us all concerned are these:
Matthew 7:21-23
21 “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. 22 Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’ 23 And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!’
Hum, I wonder if he is referring to those who say the Law was done away, and we no longer need to follow it because we now have grace?
There are far to many Christians that are Christians in name only. It’s time to wake up from slumber because the times are getting scary, and salvation is nothing to take lightly. Don’t believe the lie that just because to believe that Jesus is our Savior that that automatically gives you a pass into his Kingdom. Look at the scripture below.
Luke 6:46
46 “But why do you call Me ‘Lord, Lord,’ and not do the things which I say?
I know that Salvation cannot be earned by keeping God’s Commandments, but I also know that it can be lost by not keeping them.
In ending this post I want to ask you a very important question. I hope you will seriously consider this question because your salvation depends on it. Is your friendship with God, or is your friendship with the world?
Feel free to comment and let me know what you think.
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