“The world offers only a craving for physical pleasure, a craving for everything we see, and pride in our achievements and possessions. These are not from the Father, but are from this world. And this world is fading away, along with everything that people crave.” (1 John 2:16-17 NLT)
In our town, there is a consignment store called Stuff Etc. People take bags of unwanted clothes, accessories, and household items to this store. Most of the ‘stuff’ was originally bought with anticipation and craving, but by the time it is dropped off, its value to the owner has faded. A few minutes’ drive from the consignment store are long rows of storage units. People rent these garages to store things they no longer want but are unwilling to relinquish. If you drive a few minutes south of town, there is a huge junkyard full of old cars. At some point, these were highly prized possessions that represented novel experiences, luxury, comfort, achievement, and status. Now these vehicles are part of a scrap pile.
Worldliness is a wasteland in the making. It pulls us down into the muck. Like pigs in mud, we spend our lives wallowing in materialism and indulging in sloppy hedonism. The craving for physical pleasure, for everything we see, for the pride in our achievements and possessions, is insatiable and unfulfilling. It is only a matter of time before the latest fashions become outdated, our possessions become burdens, our dream cars become scrap, and our amusements become passè. There is so much more to living than the temporary highs offered by worldly cravings. Unfortunately, most of us only realize this in hindsight.
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