Carla

God offers us His peace, it is beyond human understanding, abiding in it we can be instruments of His peace to the world that we live in.

1 John 2:15-17 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. 16 For all that is in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—is not of the Father but is of the world. 17 And the world is passing away, and the lust of it; but he who does the will of God abides forever.

May the will of God be written on our hearts and in His love we will abide. Carla

The values of human societies should not define believers. Instead, they should be shaped by Jesus’ values. The believer’s passion should not be for what culture offers but for what God desires. 

The flesh is a dichotomy to the Holy Spirit’s work (John 3:6). John is not suggesting that being human is a negative thing; rather, he is referring to worldly values that are unacceptable to God. For John, a war wages between people’s evil desires (and the desires of evil spiritual powers) and God’s desires (John 1:5). Paul identifies the same conflict and uses the same Greek word to do so (Galatians 5:19–21). 

Wealth used for the purposes of personal gain demonstrates a selfish view of self-worth. Instead, wealth should be used for the care for others (1 John 3:16–18). John declares that the oppressive systems of human societies are coming to an end. Faithlife Study Bible

Do not love the world may be rephrased as “stop loving the world.” John’s readers were acting in a way that was inconsistent with the relationship with Christ. World here is the morally evil system opposed to all that God is and holds dear. In this sense, the world is the satanic system opposing Christ’s kingdom on this earth (verse16; 3:1; 4:4; 5:19; John 12:31; 15:18; Ephesians 6:11, 12; James 4:4). 

The lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life: The world is characterized by these three lusts, which have been interpreted as corresponding to the three different ways Eve was tempted in the garden (Genesis 3:6), or the three different temptations Jesus experienced (Luke 4:1–12). 

However, the correspondences are not close enough to make it certain that John was alluding to either of these. Instead, John was probably making a short list of the different ways believers could be lured away from loving God. The lust of the flesh refers to desires for sinful sensual pleasure. The lust of the eyes refers to covetousness or materialism. The pride of life refers to being proud about one’s position in this world.

John highlights the brevity of life. To be consumed with this life is to be unprepared for the next. What a tragedy to invest our resources in what will not last. The NKJV Study Bible

Romans 12:2 And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.

James 4:4 Adulterers and adulteresses! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Whoever therefore wants to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God. 

Romans 13:14 But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to fulfill its lusts.

Ephesians 2:3 among whom also we all once conducted ourselves in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, just as the others.

Proverbs 27:20 

Hell and Destruction are never full;

So the eyes of man are never satisfied

How do we move forward in a world where fear and dread (of polarization) are real? How can we sow love, and be an instrument of peace?

In a world where there is fear and anxiety, we need holy shadows, as they repair and heal.

…Rabbi, tell us: How do we know that night has ended and day has begun?”

The rabbi stared back into the faces of his students, and with a voice suddenly gentle and imploring, he responded: “When you look into the face of the person who is beside you, and you can see that person is your brother or your sister, then finally the night has ended, and the day has begun.”

Yes, and Amen. We are indeed—whether we see it or not, whether we like it or not—walking one another home. We are on this journey together.

Yes, as brother and sister. Not to exploit, or demean, or diminish.

Easy? No.

Indispensable? Absolutely. “Sabbath Moments”

God spoke to Joshua: "Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go" (Joshua 1:9).

As God called Joshua to step into the future with courage, let's not underestimate the powerful emotions he was facing. The Hebrew word for "frightened" in this passage conveys not just uncertainty but intense terror or dread, and the word translated as "be dismayed" can also mean "shattered" or "broken." So how could Joshua move ahead with strength and courage? And how can we face our own battles without fear?

Only by focusing on the power and presence of God to fuel our faith.

In Joshua 1:9, the commands "do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed" are linked to a promise that "the LORD your God is with you wherever you go." In other scriptures, the similar command "fear not" is accompanied by promises such as:

"I am your God; I will strengthen you" (Isaiah 41:10).

"I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are mine" (Isaiah 43:1).

"I am your shield" (Genesis 15:1).

In each instance, God guided His people to shift their perspective, taking their eyes off of their present fears and turning their gaze to His presence. And the beautiful promise that God will be with His people still holds true for us as Christians today. When we choose to follow Jesus as our Savior, God also gives us the Holy Spirit as "another Helper, to be with [us] forever" (John 14:16).

That means no matter what we face, we never face it alone. We can indeed be strong and courageous, as Joshua 1:9 says, facing our battles with faith because we have the strength of our loving, limitless God with us forever. 

There are spiritual victories…that are forever ours once we place our faith in Jesus. By His crucifixion and resurrection, Jesus conquered Satan, sin, and death, and we partake in His triumph (Revelation 1:18; Hebrews 2:14-15)!

Through Jesus, we experience victory over an already-defeated Satan. Jesus also provides us the armor we need to stand against the enemy's schemes (Ephesians 6:10-12) until His ultimate and final defeat in eternity (Revelation 20:10).

Through Jesus, we experience victory over sin. He replaces our transgressions with His righteousness (2 Corinthians 5:21).

Through Jesus, we experience victory over death, as we live by the promise of eternal life with Him (John 11:25). First5