1 John 2:16 KJV
[16] For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.
This world has many sinful pleasures. The Bible teaches us that those pleasures are only for a season. These worldly pleasures are not worth the price we will have to pay to enjoy them. In order to avoid these worldly pleasures, we must be aware of what they are. The problem is that there are so many pleasures in this world, where do we begin?
Our verse today sums up worldly pleasures in three basic categories: the lust of the flesh, which has to do with appetites; the lust of the eyes, which has to do with appearance; and the pride of life, which has to do with applause. All the sinful pleasures of this world can be found in one of these three categories.
It has often been said that an individual will fight the lust of the flesh in their youth; they will battle the lust of the eye in their middle age; and they will face the pride of life in their golden years. This does not mean that we won’t have issues with these worldly pleasures at any point in our life. A teenager can battle the pride of life and an elderly man can battle the lust of the flesh. What it does mean is that these specific pleasures are most common with these specific age brackets.
Worldly pleasures do not come from the Father. The Bible is clear to point this out in this verse. They are of the world. We live in a day when people want to attach the Lord’s name to a lot of worldly pleasures. God has never put his stamp of approval on the sinful pleasures of this world and neither should we. Do not let the pleasures of this world have control of your life today.