LIVING WORD DEVOTIONAL
By Pastor Mensa Otabil
 
Friday 13th March 2026

DO THE WILL OF GOD

Scripture Reading: 1 John 2
 
And the world is passing away, and the lust of it; but he who does the will of God abides forever. 1 John 2:17
 
This passage has a clear spiritual focus that emphasises that the things of the world, including the earth itself, are temporary.  

The world is passing away.

Everything that the world offers is temporary. Only the things of God are eternal. That is how we should live our lives as Christians. We must be mindful of the eternal and live in accordance with it.  
 
The things of the world seem to be of great value, but they are worthless when compared to the eternal blessings that come from doing the will of God.
 
The world is passing away like a decaying superstructure. On the outside, everything seems impressive but internally, the forces of decay are at work. Our world, and the life it offers has an implicit sentence of death; its decay has begun. As it passes away, so does our capacity for enjoying it also come to an end.

He who does the will of God abides forever.

Here is the contrast. Those who live for the world will pass away with the world. However, those who live for God will remain forever.
 
John exhorts us to live our lives as Jesus lived. While He was on this earth, our Lord was solely focused on doing the will of the Father. That is how we should also live. We must live our lives with eternity in mind.
 
We have before us two ways of life: a life lived for eternity and a life lived for time. A worldly person lives for the pleasures of the flesh, but a dedicated Christian, lives for the joys of the Spirit. A worldly believer lives for what he can see, the lust of the eyes; but a spiritual believer lives for the unseen realities of God.
 
Seeing then, that the love of the world and the love of the Father are absolutely, incompatible, which must we choose?

Prayer:

Heavenly Father, turn my heart from the lust of this world. Help me to live for that which is eternal. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

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