Do Not Love the World or Anything in It

1 John 2:15 “Do not love the world or anything in the world.  If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.”

My dear Lord, I know for a fact that I have not “arrived”, and You know that better than I.  You also know my grief over the worldliness of Your church.  Christmas is again upon us with all of the world’s clamoring, greed, and envy.  Stores are vying for the dollar by opening on Thanksgiving day and not waiting until the early morning hours of “Black Friday”, TV commercials are telling us what we  “just must have”, from vehicles to electronics.  The newspaper was so full of ads on Thanksgiving that it filled the re-cycle box we use.  Santas are everywhere we see “Seasons Greetings” and “Happy Holidays” and "Happy Winter"instead of Merry Christmas.  The “Christmas” movies and shows have no more to do with the real Christmas than the man in the moon.  Some purport good will toward others, forgiveness sometimes, getting the present you really want, and getting the girl or guy of your dreams, while others are much, much darker and have absolutely NOTHING to do with You or Your birthday.  The sad thing is that Your church seems to embrace the materialistic and dark view as well.

            Lord, there really is no reason You should spare Your church as she is, for the most part she is right there with the world.  She seems to have one foot in the church and one in the world and is leaning more toward the world all the time.  Lord, help me…help us…to be stubborn in a good way, toward celebrating Your birth and CHRISTmas.  Help us to concentrate on You and Your precious gift to us in coming to earth as our incarnate Savior, and do not let my mind be drawn away no matter what!