“I gave them your word, and the world hated them,
because they do not belong to the world
any more than I belong to the world.” (Jn 17:14)
It is difficult rejected the things of this world.
After all, the things of this world can bring us great comfort. They can bring us security. They can bring us happiness. They can bring us fulfillment. At least, to the degree that anything of this world can actually do.
Real comfort? Real security? Real happiness? Real fulfillment?
That can only be found in God.
Jesus knew that.
He constantly pointed that out to His followers. He challenged them, regularly, to embrace the will of His Father rather than to strive for the rewards of this earth.
He knows what we desire, though.
Those thoughts went coursing through His own head in His temptations in the desert. He was promised all the riches and power of the world, all the material good, all the comfort that it could provide. But He knew that the world did not hold the answer, only His Father did.
That is a great comfort to me. He knows our weakness and He is there to make us strong.
FAITH ACTION: What, in particular, do you crave from this world. Have you set that craving higher than God? If so, you know what you need to do.