Wasted Affections

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. For all that is in the world--the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride in possessions--is not from the Father but is from the world. And the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever.
1 John 2:15-17

I've been reading 1 John for the past week or so. I was thinking through this passage a couple of days ago, and pondering "the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride in possessions".
"Desires of the flesh" led me here:

But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other, to keep you from doing the things you want to do.
Galatians 5:16-17

And then "desires of the eyes" led me here:

He who loves money will not be satisfied with money, nor he who loves wealth with his income; this also is vanity.
Ecclesiastes 5:10

And what is pride, but setting myself on the throne of my own heart for whatever reason... But God...

See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are. The reason why the world does not know us is that it did not know him.
1 John 3:1

I could call a slug a deer all day long and that wouldn't change the slug, but when God calls us His children, it CHANGES us! "and so we are" His children- adopted into His family! =)

Now look back at the first verse I quoted. The admonition there is to not love the world. I am tempted sometimes to love the world. It just seems so APPEALING-- sometimes. =P But John says the world doesn't even KNOW us, how much less then would it be able to RETURN our love? The Father, on the other hand, sent His only Son to fulfill the righteous requirement of His Law, and then to pay the penalty for the sins of His people- His children! "See what kind of love the Father has given to us!" =)
Don't waste your affections today.