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. 1 John 2:15‭-‬16 (KJV).‬‬

REFLECT:
Man is a relational being, we were created this way and as a result, we are connected to each other in one way or another. This connectivity and the interactions which take place are what form our relationships. Hence, relationships such as marriage bonds, family units, church, religion, school, work, friendships, and other social or societal relationships are forged as a part of who we are and for the various purposes for which we were created to fulfill on earth.

So, God Almighty Creator of the whole universe created us (man) with the sole intent of us having a relationship with Him (Father God), as well as with our fellow human beings and with other aspects of God’s creation. This relationship was meant to be on different levels with God as the focal point or at the center of it all.

However, perversion was introduced leading to toxicity at the time man fell into sin. As a result of this singular act of man, a Perverse and Toxic relationship became the masterpiece of man’s folly. This means that a lot of senselessness, foolishness, and a lack of purpose became the basis for which most relationships were formed.

So, how can we identify perverse and toxic relationships? What can we do to reverse this situation? Our Bible verse for today accurately reveals the answers to us. The answer is that we have given ourselves over to loving the things of the world. We may wonder what is wrong with loving things, after all, they have been put in place by God for our survival.

Indeed, there is nothing wrong with having nice things, especially things that may help alleviate suffering and give us some comfort. This is not what is being insinuated here. However, there are huge downsides attached to the things of the world which will be explained in the next paragraph.

First and foremost, when man fell into sin, God was automatically taken out of the equation, which means man lost his relationship with God who was no longer the focal or center of man’s relationship cycle. As a result, man looked for something else to fill the vacuum he had created. Man looked to the devil whom man was now obliged to serve by the reason of the fall.

As a result, man adopted a corrupt mindset which he tried to use in operating the laws of God which did not yield the intended results they were meant to produce. We are told in James 3:11-18, that a fountain cannot bring forth sweet and bitter water at the same time, therefore, good and evil can never be a perfect match together. It is either something is good, or it is evil. You see, we cannot effectively work God’s laws using tools other than the ones He has specifically put in place. If we try to do that, there will eventually be a breakdown in the unit at some point.

Thus, in setting his focus on loving the world his way, the results man got were things such as the pride of life, which generally is man’s (i.e., us) pursuit of ambition at the detriment of both ourselves and our fellow men to control and rule the world, and the people in it.

Another thing loving the world produced in man was the lust of the flesh. This constitutes our insatiable lust for things, you name it, power, sex, money, and other material things. Unfortunately, since after the fall, man has never been able to satisfy his lust, the story has been taking, grabbing, stealing, embezzling, killing and the list goes on.

So, what is the remedy? How can we reverse this awful situation? Some people might suggest, that you just start thinking of others in a better light or start a welfare program. However, the truth of the matter as was mentioned earlier is, that we cannot effectively work God’s laws using tools other than the ones He has specifically put in place or provided.

In this case, God has provided a solution in His Son—Jesus Christ. All we need to do is acknowledge we need God’s solution which is—Jesus, and not the things we have been working with all this while.

We must allow Jesus to change our mindset and focus back on having God as the center of our relationship(s). Also, we must look to Jesus to help us reflect the mindset of God in the relationships we have with our fellow men and the rest of creation.

When we forge relationships based on God’s principles and laws, having God as the focal point of our lives we succeed in moving ourselves away from indulging in every form of perverse and toxic relationships and situate ourselves in the divinely orchestrated relationship God ordained from the beginning of creation.

Ebimobo W. Obasi

PLEASE PRAY ALONG:

A Prayer for Loving What God Loves.

FATHER GOD, thank You for making me in Your image. Please deliver me from all perverse and toxic relationships that may be competing for my attention. Create in me your very own mindset and help me to love what You love and hate what You hate and give me the wisdom to know the difference. In JESUS MIGHTY NAME AMEN!