Today's Passage - 2 Timothy 4:9-10

River of Life Christian Church ︳www.rolcc.net/english 2 Timothy 4: 9-10    "Do your best to come to me quickly, for Demas, because he loved this world, has deserted me and has gone to Thessalonica. Crescens has gone to Galatia, and Titus to Dalmatia."                  Because he loved this world, Demas not only deserted Paul, he also abandoned God's work. Loving this world not only speaks of the blind pursuit on the outside, it also embodies the inner attitude. A rich man loves this world because of the attraction of money and power; the poor people also love the world because they are eager to deal with the present life situations. The manifestation may be different, but the mindset is the same. This mindset causes our eyes to drift away from God, using only our means to solve problems. The mindset of loving the world not only takes place in the unbelieving generations, it also takes place among the believers; the New Testament church had Demas, the Old Testament time had Lot. It is because believers have not established the proper Godly values after believing the Lord, so it is natural to accept the worldly values, going after the world.                  When quarreling arose between Abraham's and Lot's servants, Abraham asked Lot to choose his own place of living. Lot did not seek God's will in the face of this opportunity; the first thing he thought and saw was the whole plain of the Jordan. Sodom was a major business center at that time, Lot chose Jordan valley not to follow the world on purpose, but his values dictated his decision. The Jordan valley embodied power and glory that were the foundation of the world's values.                  Once Lot failed to establish the proper Godly values, the worldly values took root in his heart, and then dominated his life. So naturally Lot walked the way of the world, while he was among the cities of the plain, and pitched his tents near Sodom. He did not establish the Godly values in advance, so the worldly values gradually affected him, even when the two angels came looking for him, Lot was still sitting at the gateway of Sodom. Only the elders can sit at the city gateway during that era, the elders embodied authority, Sodom embodied the glory of the world, values like authority and glory had a firm grip on Lot, so he walked the way of the world.  Brothers and sisters, if you are not walking the God's way to influence the world, then you are being influenced by the world, walking the way of the world. Lord, help us to turn around walking the God's way today.                                                   Pray with Pastor Tong           Lord, help us not to love the world like Demas, and not to pitch the tents like Lot, and walk the way of world to the end. Help us adjust our strides, and walk the Godly ways. We give thanks and pray in the victorious name of Jesus, Amen!