So, What Do You Do?

For everything in the world — the cravings of sinful man, the lust of his eyes and the boasting of what he has and does — comes not from the Father but from the world. The world and its desires pass away, but the man who does the will of God lives forever. (1John 2.16-17)

In some contexts, "kosmos" means "a place where people live". In others, it refers to a system that opposes God. There are three clues he gives us to show us when we are off the God track and stuck in the world's rut - the cravings of our sinful nature (rebellion, in the sense of "I know it's wrong, but I'm going to do it anyway), lusting after "stuff", and the tendency to equate who we are to what we do - title, fame, glory.

Steven Covey and I depart on the point of the divinity of Christ, but are in accord when it comes to a very Biblical principle: the private victory. Fighting the temptation to hang my identity on what I have and do is so counterculture that even mature Christians - those who have followed Jesus, well, for a long time - find themselves giving in to this both accidently constantly. When people ask what you do and what you do does not match what you've always wanted to do, does that voice in your head convince you to polish it up? Do you go from being a mild mannered waiter to "Executive Guest Liaison to the Culinary Staff"?

John is very in your face about this - what you do and what you take pride in in this life will wither and die. The Bible teaches us that this is all going to be burned up some day (Rev. 8.7). Someday, it will all go away. The car you worked so hard for, the awards and accolades from your peers, all that stuff that the world teaches as vital will be gone. Our only fig leaf will be that which we have done in His service.

Gonna be a lotta folks wandering around butt-nickett, that would, believe it or not, be happier dressed to the nines.