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Self Too Highly
Paul wrote to those in Rome, “to every man that is among you, not to think
of himself more highly than he ought to think” (Romans 12:3).
Paul stated that in the last days “men shall be lovers of self...haughty...”
(2 Timothy 3:2).
Jesus said, “If any man would come after me, let him deny himself, and
take up his cross, and follow me” (Matthew 16:24).
It is very easy for us to put our affection on ourselves in an unjust way and
thus miss the rewards of the Christ.
Sinful Pleasures
The younger son had his affections on the sinful pleasures of the world when
he left home (Luke 15:11-32).
It took a pig-pen experience and some real soul- searching for him to realize
he had missed the real treasures back home.
Too many people underestimate the power of pleasure.
Jesus taught that when seed was sown, “that which fell among thorns are
they, which, when they have heard, go forth, and are choked with cares and riches
and pleasures of [this] life, and bring no fruit to perfection” (Luke
8:14).
Sinful Pleasures
The Galatians were warned not to go back to the works of the flesh (Galatians
5:19-21).
Paul stressed where sinful pleasures will lead in Romans 1:18-32—rejecting
God, and exchanging the natural with the unnatural.
We all need the good sense exhibited by Moses who chose “...rather to
suffer affliction with the people of God, than to enjoy the pleasures of sin
for a season” (Hebrews 11:25).
The World
If one gets everything the world has to offer, all he will have is “the
lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes and the pride of life” (1 John
2:16).
Paul underscores the worldly affections in 2 Timothy 3:1-8.
I am sure that some of the saddest words ever written by Paul were these: “for
Demas forsook me, having loved this present world” (2 Timothy 4:10).
The world will rob us of those things that really are good and important under
the guise of giving us something better.
May we be wise enough to see through the glitter and be strong enough to refuse
that which cannot help, but only hurt.
Let us know better and do better than the Devil desires for us.
Money
“But they that will be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and [into]
many foolish and hurtful lusts, which drown men in destruction and perdition.
For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after,
they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows”
(1 Timothy 6:9-10).
We have seen people destroy themselves and their families, for money.
We have seen people forsake the worship assemblies and thus grow weak spiritually,
for money.
We have seen people leave the Lord, for money.
It was for money that Judas sold the Lord!
May we think seriously about the problems caused by the love of money and learn
to use money instead of letting it use us.
The Love Of Preeminence or Praise
“Diotrephes, who loveth to have the preeminence” (3 John 9).
Here was a “leader” in the church who ruined himself because of
his love for preeminence.
We all have seen this in action.
There are those who must have their names called often or else they become upset.
They want the recognition.
This spirit has destroyed congregations.
The Love Of Preeminence or Praise
Everything and everyone will have to cater to the individual who thinks like
this.
Jesus warned of the “scribes, who desire to walk in long robes, and love
salutations in the marketplaces and chief seats in the synagogues, and chief
places at feasts; who devour widows’ houses, and for a pretense make long
prayers: these shall receive greater condemnation” (Luke 20:46,47).
Not only will the love of preeminence cause one to be lost, but the love of
the praise of men will do likewise.
There were some, even among the chief rulers who believed on Jesus, “...but
because of the Pharisees they did not confess [him], lest they should be put
out of the synagogue: For they loved the praise of men more than the praise
of God” (John 12:42-43).
The Love Of Preeminence or Praise
Preachers who hold their finger to the wind before deciding what to preach lest
they upset some members of the congregation need to re-read these passages.
If the Bible teaches anything, it teaches that one must “be instant in
season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort, with all longsuffering and doctrine”
(2 Timothy 4:2).
Let us love men, but not the praise of men.
Remember that Jesus said those who do their righteousness “before men,
to be seen of them” are paid in full when men speak well of them (Matthew
6:1,2,5,16).
Set Your Affections On:
We have just seen five things that we are not to set our affections on.
I am pretty sure we could add a lot of other things to this list.
Not all of these things are bad of themselves, but when they redirect our affection
away from God, they become evil.
Now, let us notice what the Bible tells us to set our affections upon.
God
Let us love him “with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all
thy mind” (Matthew 22:37).
When one considers all the things made manifest by the love of God for us, we
should be motivated to love God supremely.
It is sad that Jesus had to say of some, “ye have not the love of God
in yourselves” (John 5:42).
We cannot, with ink, write the love of God and we cannot, with our feeble minds,
fathom the depth of the love of God, but we can with all our whole being love
God in return.
The Christ
Paul’s statement is forceful: “If any man love not the Lord Jesus
Christ, let him be Anathema Maranatha” (1 Corinthians 16:22).
Some might wonder how they can know if they truly love the Christ.
Considering the great sacrifice He made for us, we should love Him greatly.
Jesus made it easy to know if we love him. “If ye love me, ye will keep
my commandments” (John 14:15).
The Christ
Take a look at the commands of the Lord and then take a look at your lifestyle.
How do they compare?
Are we willing to take this simple test to determine our love for the Christ?
May we work hard to bring our lifestyles into compliance with the wishes of
the Christ.
We shall never regret a single act of obedience to him and to his will.
The Bible
“O how love I thy law! it [is] my meditation all the day” (Psalm
119:97).
This should be the sentiment of every Christian.
The Bible contains words of truth that lead to everlasting life.
The Bible is the only book in the world that reveals God to mankind, and tells
mankind what God expects from him,.
Paul dealt with some “who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in
unrighteousness” (1 Thessalonians 2:12).
The Bible
Paul was certainly blessed in that he could be assured that “from a babe
thou hast known the holy scriptures which are able to make thee wise unto salvation”
(2 Timothy 3:15).
Every child who has been taught to love the Bible can be thankful for such teaching.
I appreciate those teachers who teach our young people to love and obey the
Word of God.
We must have more who believe unwaveringly that “All scripture [is] given
by inspiration of God, and [is] profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction,
for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect, throughly
furnished unto all good works” (2 Timothy 3:16,17).
May the Bible always be the book we love best.
The Church
The value of the church is seen in the fact that “...Christ also loved
the church, and gave himself for it; That he might sanctify and cleanse it with
the washing of water by the word, That he might present it to himself a glorious
church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be
holy and without blemish” (Ephesians 5:25-27).
Certainly, as we love the Christ, we will love his church.
When I think that the church is that “which he purchased with his own
blood” (Acts 20:28) and that it is that to which the saved are added (Acts
2:41,47), I am moved to want to do all I can to promote His church to the world.
The Church
Ask yourself:
What attitude do I portray to my family concerning the church?
Does my family know that I love the church of the Lord with all my being?
Do those with whom I work know of my love for the church?
Do we tell the truth when we sing, “I Love Thy Kingdom Lord.”
My Brethren
One of the characteristics of saved folks is that they exhibit “unfeigned
love of the brethren” (1 Peter 1:22).
It is the desire, yea, the effort of every faithful child of God to “let
love of the brethren continue” (Hebrews 13:1).
As we mingle among those for whom the Lord died, we want to “be tenderly
affectioned one to another” (Romans 12:10).
The New American Standard reads: “be kindly affectionate towards one another”
My Brethren
What assurance to know that “he that loveth his brother abideth in the
light, and there is no occasion of stumbling in him” (1 John 2:10) and
that “if we love one another, God abideth in us and his love is perfected
in us” (1 John 4:12).
I know that some brethren have earned graduate degrees in aggravation and seem
to practice their trade well, but I also know that the best people on the face
of the earth are my brethren.
May God help me to love them more!
The Lost
Jesus “came to seek and to save that which was lost” (Luke 19:10).
Are we not commanded to be like Jesus?
“God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son” (John
3:16).
If heaven loved the lost this much, how can I not love them enough to make an
effort to help them learn how to be saved?
The Lost
Why is it so hard to get Christians to talk about salvation on a daily basis
with those whom they know?
Why must we always have some kind of special effort to do “personal work?”
Should not the knowledge of how much God loved us and how much someone else
loved us when they taught us the Gospel motivate us to pass this knowledge on
to others?
May we see people as lost people and be moved to talk with them about salvation.
Conclusion
Affections are powerful things.
Where we have placed our affections may very well determine where we live in
eternity.
It is so easy today to become distracted and set our affections where they should
not be.
The temptation is great, but the assurances from God are sufficient to help
us make the proper decisions.
May we Remember the Bible boundaries.
By Carey Scott from an article by James E. Rogers
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