Does One Letter Make a Difference?

While my wife and I sat in front of my desktop computer this morning to listen to the broadcast of our church's morning worship service, I was struck by our pastor's message about how God's grace was set to be bestowed on us before the beginning of time. He spoke about the Word and how that was used by God to draw us unto him and out of this World....and in that moment, I saw there was one letter between the two words that would make ALL THE DIFFERENCE in our relationship with our Savior. In fact, the WORD says it best in I John 2:15-17 which reads;  

"Do not love this world nor the things it offers you, for when you love the world, you do not have the love of the Father in you. For 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. But anyone who does what pleases God will live forever." New Living Translation (bolding, my emphasis)

And there is the difference between the two works...the "l". When we let the WORD into us, we come to know Christ as our Lord and Savior and we have the Holy Spirit living within us, to direct us as we seek to do what pleases God; however, when we let the WORLD dwell in our hearts and minds, we seek to do what we want and not what God wants...which tells all those who view our life and the way that we live that the LOVE OF THE FATHER DOES NOT DWELL WITHIN US! We need to let the WORD of God dwell deep within our heart, mind and soul so that there is no room for the world to come in. World in spells Disaster in our lives for God is not truly with us. WORD in spells peace, love and the desire to do what pleases God and gives our lives a sweet aroma of surrender to the Father's will.

I believe I can best illustrate this by sharing a little of my history regarding my service in the US Navy…and some interesting parallels that will help us understand this concept of the Word versus the World.

Now, I was stationed aboard an old tin can destroyer, USS Strong DD-758, a World War II relic, if ever there was one. Our ship was tethered to the pier in our home port of Charleston, SC when it wasn’t in route overseas for a  Mediterranean cruise or sailing about the Gulf of Mexico or the Atlantic Ocean. I learned early as a seaman in the deck force that the ship needed to be in the water to do the most good…to perform its duties and function as a member of the Sixth Fleet. I also learned that though it was good for the ship to be in the water, it was extremely BAD for the water to get into the ship. When that happens, the ship is on its way to becoming a fish hotel on the bottom of the ocean...no longer fit for service and its intended purpose. The ship had to stay afloat in the water or it was just a large chunk of metal that had little value…it could not fulfill its true mission as a naval vessel unless it was in the water; however, it made for a very bad situation if the water got into the ship.

And that my friend is true for you and me regarding the WORD and the World. We have to live in this world and function as a servant of God until He calls us home to and for our glorious reward. But living in this world DOES NOT GIVE US CAUSE to let the World live in us. When that happens, James tells us in the fourth chapter of his book, verse 4;   ^"You are not faithful to God. Don’t you know that to be a friend of the world is to hate God? So anyone who chooses to be the world’s friend becomes God’s enemy." NLTR

So the question is quite simple....how has the one letter "l" affected your standing with God, your Heavenly Father? If the world is in you with all its lust, greed, power and pride, then YOU ARE AN ENEMY of  GOD....and the WORD tells us how that battle will end...YOU LOSE!!! But, if the WORD is in you, as you seek to do the Father's will, then keep on keeping on by letting His Word dwell in your heart as you listen to and following the leadings of the Holy Spirit....and YOU WILL KNOW LOVE, JOY, PEACE AND FELLOWSHIP THAT WILL LAST FOR ETERNITY...at home with the Father, His Son and the Holy Spirit in ONE....and it can all be yours if you pay attention to that one little letter...L!

Living in the WORD...Leaving the world behind,

WPQ

 

Poem for the day...

 

If you choose to love the world

Then Life's  battle you will lose;

For living in the Word of God

Is the life that you should chose.

 

For God wants for each of us

To know Jesus, His only Son;

To embrace Him as our Savior

And accept what He has done.

 

For on the cross, He shed His blood;

Not a drop did He withhold.

So those who would accept Him

Could live life, brave and bold.

 

So don't give in to worldly things;

For these shall pass away.

But let His Word indwell deep within

As you walk with Him each day!

 

 

WPQ © January 2021