Does God ever seem like a killjoy?
“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.” -1 John 2:15
It is common in our day to speak of “love” in terms of attraction and affection. Thus, we fall in and out of love with people and things, ideas and experiences, and the focus is so often simply on what we feel.
That is not the love John is talking about here. If it were, we would be in conflict with Genesis, which says that God made ALL things good, with all of the Psalms that exult in the beauty and wonder of the world God made, and with Ecclesiastes, which declares that “everyone should eat and drink and take pleasure in all his toil – this is God’s gift to man.” (Ecclesiastes 3:13)
In the Bible and in life, love -true love- is less about attraction and affection and more about commitment and devotion. To enjoy someone’s company and be drawn to them is not the same as making them a focus and foundation of your life. The same is true of the world and its things.
God is NOT a killjoy. He wants us to take joy in the life He has given us! There is no sin in seeking enjoyment in the God-approved pleasures of this life. However, don’t let them become your greatest commitment. Rather, let the depths of your heart always find their fill in Christ, for when that love is in us, we are truly free and will have joy that can never be shaken.
