In the world but not of the world...

1 John 2: 15-16  Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love 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 pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.

We all live here in the world but according to the Bible, God requires that as Christians we do not become attached to the worldly things that we see around us everyday. "If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him." Those are pretty strong words. We cannot be loving the things of this world since then the love of our heavenly Father will not be in us.

Worldliness is the enemy of holiness. God is holy and he wants to make us holy through Jesus Christ.

Worldliness is satan's way. We must not love anything that is in satan's domain. Unbelievers being a part of the world system oppose Christ. This is obvious in their lifestyle - living for self and for the things of the world.  Christ demands our complete loyalty and devotion. We cannot be on the fence with this. Choose to live wholeheartedly for the Lord and do not allow self and worldliness to rule your life. We are living in worldliness when we allow our fleshly desires to control us - that is the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes and the pride of life. It is an evil attitude, it is a heart that says " I want this for me and I want it now, I don't care if others are hurt by my actions". As Christians we can not be living a life that serves self and the world. Neither can we live in worldliness and live for the Lord Jesus at the same time. There are many things that people will use to try to satisfy themselves, to fill that loneliness and the emptiness of their heart. Examples are money, hobbies, travelling, job, food, sex, music and entertainment. The truth is that Jesus is the only One who can fill that void in our lives.

Proverbs 11:6  The righteousness of the upright shall deliver them: but transgressors shall be taken in their own naughtiness.

The unbeliever is trapped by his own evil desires. Each of us is accountable to God Himself for our actions. God does not play favorites and each one will receive accordingly to what he or she has done in this life. This is why it is so important that turn our lives over to the Lord and we take our sins to God. We need to confess our sins to the Lord God, turn from them once and for all. He is faithful to forgive us when we come to him in this way. God doesn't give anyone a break or make excuses for anyone's sin - no, he poured it all on Jesus. Jesus took our sin to the cross and died there in our place. Our sin was paid for by the Lord Jesus Christ. Repent of every sin and turn your life over to Jesus. May I encourage each of us to CLING to JESUS!!

Ephesians 5:8-10  For ye were sometimes darkness, but now are ye light in the Lord: walk as children of light:

(For the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness and righteousness and truth;) Proving what is acceptable unto the Lord.

My Vegetable Garden - Sowing and Reaping

I enjoy having a garden and seeing it grow. This picture here is of my vegetable garden. Among other things I planted potatoes, tomatoes, peas, beans, corn and onions. My garden doesn't look quite as good as I had hoped since we got frost here about two weeks ago and it damaged a lot of the plants. Then last Sunday we got a big rain mixed with hail so the garden is now regrowing from both the frost and the hail. I am hoping to get a better picture of my garden in a couple of weeks or a month when the plants have had time to mature. The Bible says our lives are somewhat like a garden and that we will reap what we sow.

 Galatians 6: 7-10 says :
⁷ Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.
⁸ For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting.
⁹ And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not.
¹⁰ As we have therefore opportunity, let us do good unto all men, especially unto them who are of the household of faith.

If I make the comparison to my garden, I can expect that in the later part of summer I will be able to pick peas from the peas plants, beans from the beans plants, and tomatoes will grow on the tomato plants. I do not expect to harvest any beets or zucchini since I have not planted that kind of seed in my garden.
If we sow good seed in our lives, that is we walk in the Spirit, we fill our minds with Scripture, truth, pure and lovely things, we will reap, the fruit of the Spirit.  Galatians 5: 22-23 - But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.

On the other hand if we fill our minds with evil and with things of the world, that is we live in the flesh and fill up on the sinful desires of the flesh, we will reap pain and misery like it says in Galatians 6:8 For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption

Galatians 5: 19-21  Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are: adultery,  fornication, uncleanness, lewdness,  idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies,  envy, murders, drunkenness, revelries, and the like; of which I tell you beforehand, just as I also told you in time past, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.

 The works of the flesh can respresent weeds, the unsaved person which Jesus says will be reaped at the end of the world.
 Good seed represents the people saved by the blood of Christ, those who will reap life everlasting with God in the heavenly kingdom. ...but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting.
Matthew 13:38-40
³⁸ The field is the world; the good seed are the children of the kingdom; but the tares are the children of the wicked one;
³⁹ The enemy that sowed them is the devil; the harvest is the end of the world; and the reapers are the angels.
⁴⁰ As therefore the tares are gathered and burned in the fire; so shall it be in the end of this world.



I added a picture of my garden today July10, 2012. It has been really dry and hot out here for quite some time now.