“Do not love the world nor the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of life, is not from the Father, but is from the world. The world is passing away, and also its lusts; but the one who does the will of God lives forever.” (1 John 2:15-17 NASB1995)

The word translated as “love” in English is agape, which means to prefer, usually in the context of preferring what God prefers, which is all that is holy, righteous, upright, morally pure, honest, faithful, and obedient to our Lord and to his commands. Usually this is about embracing God’s will, and choosing his choices, and obeying them through his power, allowing Christ to rule and to live his life through the believer in Christ in doing the will of God.

However, in this context, it means merely “to prefer.” We are not to prefer the world of sin, choosing its choices, and obeying them through human strength and wisdom. We are not to prefer what is worldly, corrupt, hateful, immoral, wicked, selfish, dishonest, unfaithful, adulterous, blasphemous, idolatrous, prideful, and full of lust and illicit sexual arousement. Our desire is not to be for what is sinful, but it should be for what is holy and godly.

Yet here “to prefer” carries with it more than just a choice or a selection, like I prefer Miracle Whip (salad dressing) over Dukes Mayonnaise. In the context of this Scripture “to prefer” carries with it more of a longing for, a craving, a yearning, appetite, lust, and addiction. This is about what some people do by habit, compulsion, obsession, and dependence, which can lead to entrapment. So the lusts of the flesh rule their hearts and behaviors.

And if worldly lusts and sinful desires and immoral cravings are what rule your life, and what you keep going back to over and over again, because that is what your flesh craves, and that is what your heart truly desires, then the love of the Father is not in you. For God is not your Lord. The lust of your sinful flesh is your lord, the one you worship and that you bow down to, and that you cannot live without, and that which gets priority over all else.

And, again, this is not to say that, as true followers of Jesus Christ, that we will never sin, and that we will never fail God (1 John 2:1-2). But if sin is our habit (practice, go to, addiction), and obedience to our Lord and to his commands is not what we live by, then the Scriptures teach that we do not know God, we are not in fellowship with God, we are not saved from our sins, and we will not inherit eternal life with God unless we repent (change).

For we learn in 1 John 1-3 that if we claim that we have fellowship with God, but yet we walk in darkness (sin), we are liars. If we claim that we know God, but we do not obey his commandments, in practice, we are liars. For it is not the one who claims he is “in Christ” who is “in Christ,” but it is the one who has denied self, died with Christ to sin, and who is now walking in obedience to our Lord and to his commands, in practice, and no longer in sin. We have the hope and the promise of eternal life with God in heaven.

[Matthew 7:13-14,21-23; Luke 9:23-26; John 10:27-30; Acts 26:18; Romans 2:5-10; Romans 6:1-23; Romans 8:1-14; 1 Corinthians 10:1-22; Galatians 5:16-24; Ephesians 2:8-10; Ephesians 4:17-32; Ephesians 5:3-6; Titus 2:11-14; Hebrews 3:1-19; Hebrews 12:1-2; 1 Peter 2:24; 1 John 1:1-10; 1 John 2:1-6; 1 John 3:4-10; Revelation 2:1-29; Revelation 3:1-22]

Tick Tock

An Original Work / May 1, 2011
Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love

Tick tock, tick tock, time is a passing.
The time on the clock keeps ticking
While the church is fast a-sleeping.
Satan’s on a rampage
‘Cause his time is running out.
Will you worship God the Father,
God the Son and Holy Spirit?
Will you obey all of His
Commands for you today?
Jesus died to pay your ransom,
So that you could be forgiven.
Won’t you come to Him in truth
And penitently pray to Him?

Tick tock, tick tock, time is a wasting.
The cross of our Lord awaits you.
Won’t you come and share His table,
Drink the cup and eat the bread
In memory of Him?
Take a heart examination,
And accept our God’s salvation.
Humbly bow in adoration
And proclaim His name.
He wants for you to believe in
Him who interceded for you
When He died for your sins
And He rose from death in victory.

Tick tock, tick tock, time’s end is nearing.
How He longs to take and keep you,
In His arms He wants to hold you,
If you will but come to Him
And call on Him today.
His desire is that you please Him
In all of your life’s ambitions;
Be a living sacrifice
And be transformed today.
Let Christ’s love and grace sustain you,
And His promises prepare you
For His soon return to earth
To gather all His saints to Him.

Are Sinful Cravings Your God?
An Original Work / February 26, 2026
Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love