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 of life is not from the Father but is 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
Love ~ 26 agápē – properly, love, centering in moral preference. In secular ancient Greek, 26 (agápē) likewise focuses on preference as does the verb (25/agapáō) – in antiquity meaning "to prefer" (TDNT, 7). In the NT, 26 (agápē) "involves recognition and judgment of value, whence its frequent nuance of 'preference.' The verb agapaō most often means 'value, set great store by, hold in high esteem'; . . . Helps Word Studies
We will never overcome what we love. Jesus reminds us the world holds an allure for the natural man. Temptations are common to us all, but to overcome a love for the world, to live in it and not be one with its culture and ideals, we must ‘love’ God with our all.
I am always checking my heart to see where my attachments lean. I’m aware I will never overcome what I indulge, excuse or prefer over God. Heart checks are a daily need.
There is much in the world that can be appealing so the need to properly discern what is good and acceptable in the eyes of our Father requires a heart that is willing to embrace truth and be adjusted. 26/agapē ("love, divine preference") describes all of God's being and actions. For the believer 26/agapē ("love, divine preference") is the affirmation of what the Lord affirms, and the rejection of what God hates (cf. Ps 97:10). Helps Word Study
For the child of God, holding an appetite for worldly things becomes a torment to the soul. This mixture grieves the Holy Spirit who works to keep us pure and unblemished. We find ourselves resisting Him in order to satisfy our own desires.
Jesus, tempted in the lust of the flesh, his desire for food, is the same temptation we see for Adam and Eve. The children in the wilderness had such a strong craving for food it led them into sin. Proverbs 23:3 addresses the man given to his appetites. In these events we can understand a need for a fasted lifestyle to bring our lives into submission.
This ability to deny ourselves teaches godly restraint. Consider all the places Jesus did not go, things he did not do, words he did not say, until he was instructed by His Father. The instruction to overcome the world isn’t to be confused with will worship, Col. 2:23, rather an expression of obedient submission. He learned obedience by the things he suffered. The ability to tell yourself no and walk it out in the grace of God, by the power of the Holy Spirit, is the victory that overcomes the world. Again, we won’t overcome what we ‘value, set great store by, or hold in high esteem’.
The lust of the eyes, holds this drive and pursuit for ‘all the kingdoms of the world with their splendour’. Eve’s looking at the fruit until it became a delight to her eyes and something she believed would fill a void (make one wise) should heighten our awareness of what we focus on. We desire a standard of life that gives success, prestige, comfort and security and In a desire to achieve this, many are led astray into harmful activities.
How many things have I pursued in my lifetime that have led to misadventure and pain because of my willful and wrong desires. Things that did not fit within the context of God’s timing and plan. These occur through the pride of man where we value our rights and exalt self, our will, above Gods. Only humility will overcome pride.
Our love for the Father must so permeate us each day with the strength of our fellowship satisfying our souls, meeting every need and leaving no room for a love of the world or the things that are in it.
The world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever.