The world seeks to be praised And honored by the mighty
Yet never once reflects That they are frail and flighty.
But what I truly prize Above all things is He,
My Jesus, He alone. What is the world to me!
(LSB 730:2)
This hymn from the turn of the 18th century captures well the eternal Word of God. Jesus warned that no one can serve two masters. You will hate the one and despise the other. One cannot serve both God and mammon (Matthew 6:24). The apostle John likewise warns: "Do not love the world or 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 desires of the flesh, and the desires of the eye and pride in possessions - is not from the Father but is from the world. And the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever" (1 John 2:15-17).
The flesh battles constantly against the Spirit. Given new birth from above, Christians are to set their eyes on things above where Christ is seated that when He appears you will also appear with Him in glory (Colossians 3:1-4). The good that we would do, we don't. The evil that we hate, that is what we find ourselves doing (Romans 7). What the world offers is immediate gratification. Click a link and there it is! Many feast their eyes on pornography and fill their souls with straw. Don't delay; hurry and enjoy today. It doesn't matter what you seek, there are many avenues that portray themselves as gateways to pleasures. So many are off to gain the whole world and enjoy what it offers.
Jesus complicates the pursuit of pleasure, happiness, riches and whatever else the world deems important. He asks a simple question. "What does it profit a man to gain the whole world and to forfeit his soul? What can a man gain in exchange for his soul?" (Matthew 16:26). Some politicians enter public life with moderate income. They retire from office as millionaires. Salaries alone cannot account for this increase. They are enriched through government coffers and influence seekers trying to buy their vote. Some politicians enter public life with both virtue and morality intact. These may quickly be sacrificed to move up in the party or to gain reelection in the changing political winds. A man's actions speak louder than words. One can say anything, but it is what they do that shows where their real values lie.
What those who live for today forget is that all will appear before Jesus on the Last Day. There each person will give an account for their conduct, priorities, use of time and possessions entrusted to them now. Do you fear God more than people? You should. Jesus teaches: "Do not fear those who kill the body, and after that have nothing more that they can do. But I will warn you whom to fear: fear him who, after he has killed, has authority to cast into hell. Yes, I tell you, fear him!" (Luke 12:4-5) God alone has authority to kill both body and soul and cast them into hell. We should fear God's wrath and not take it lightly. Everyone who stands before God in their own righteousness will be condemned. Those who call upon the name of the Lord will be saved.
Wilhelm Loehe, a 19th century support of missions, including those in North America. some of which joined the Missouri Synod, writes: What do you love? Do you love the world? It will pass away and its desires too. Acknowledgement with people? That’s blowing mere bubbles and great nothingness. Honor? That’s just a passing shadow. A big name in this world? Soon it is forgotten. Favor with the high and mighty? Then your really clutching at straws. Friends? They come and go like the tides of the oceans, like summer rains or the seasons. Father and mother? They are but mortal and will have to leave you sooner or later. Your children? They’re not yours really, they belong to the heavenly Father. Your own life? That’s a weaver’s coil and will be unravelled in no time. Your house? That’s about as an abiding abode as the whale was to Jonah. It will spit you out naked with nothing to go with it. Your fields, forests and pastures? Who knows how soon somebody else will call it his own? What do you love? Vanity? That suffocates anybody in the long run. Do you love yourself? That’s probably the biggest disappointment of all in the end. Choose what you want here on earth. It’s all not more than a loss and bound to lead to serious disenchantment.
Only Jesus is our righteousness, wisdom, sanctification and redemption (1 Corinthians 1:30). Blessed is the one who hears His word and keeps it. This means that God's word is kept as a valued, treasured possession. Through it we live now and for eternity. Courting the world's favor is like building a home out of Styrofoam It will not endure the judgement but melt into nothing under the intense heat. He who boasts in the Lord Jesus has it all.
