Daily Devotional

What is something you have wanted so badly that you thought having it would make your life better?

For me, growing up, it was the newest PlayStation. I loved my PlayStation 2, but after seeing a friend play Uncharted on a PlayStation 3, I was convinced I needed one. When I finally received it for Christmas in 2009, I was thrilled. A few years later, however, the PlayStation 4 became the next thing I had to have.

I worked and saved $400, then went with my mom to GameStop on Black Friday. When the total came to $430 with tax, she kindly covered the difference. I still remember her generosity. But I also remember how easily my excitement about a console became tied to how I felt about myself.

There was always something newer to want.

That cycle reaches far beyond video games. We can look to possessions, entertainment, appearance, accomplishments, or approval to give us lasting satisfaction. Advertisements feed that desire with a familiar promise: “Your life would be better if you had this.”

Into that cycle, John speaks a challenging word: “Do not love the world or the things in the world” (1 John 2:15).

Does this mean we should stop enjoying life? Should we reject hobbies, friendships, or the good gifts God gives us? No. John is warning us against loving the sinful desires and values that draw our hearts away from God. God loves the people of the world, and He calls us to love them too. But we cannot make the world’s way of life our greatest love while faithfully following Him.

The question is whether something we enjoy has become something we depend on for our identity, security, or joy.

John identifies three dangers: the desires of the flesh, the desires of the eyes, and the pride of life. The desires of the flesh pull us toward satisfying ourselves apart from God’s will. The desires of the eyes convince us that what we see is what we need. The pride of life leads us to boast in what we have or accomplish rather than depend on God.

I recognize these patterns in myself. Sometimes a commercial or a few minutes browsing Amazon can turn something I never needed into something I suddenly feel I must have. The problem begins when my heart expects a purchase to provide what only God can give.

John then reminds us that the world and its desires are passing away, while those who do God’s will abide forever (1 John 2:17).

The newest console eventually becomes old. Possessions wear out. Approval fades. A relationship with God through Jesus Christ offers a hope that lasts beyond everything we can buy or achieve.

When I bought a PlayStation 5 in 2023, I enjoyed it, but something had changed. I was growing in my understanding that my identity rested in being God’s child. The console could be a gift to enjoy without becoming the center of my life.

How do we grow in that freedom? We draw near to God through Scripture, prayer, worship, and obedience. We ask Him to reveal what has taken too much space in our hearts. And we remember that Jesus died and rose again to bring us into a restored relationship with the Father. Our obedience grows from His grace; it does not purchase His love.

We also invite others to know Him, loving them with patience and sharing the hope we have in Christ.

This world constantly offers us more. In Jesus, God offers us Himself—and a life with Him that lasts forever.

English Standard Version (ESV)
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.