Fr. Mike Schmitz

In so many ways, Lord, what I work for, what I get up for, what I strive for day after day is not for you, but it's for the honors of the world, for the victories of the world, for the recognition of the world, or even for the comforts of the world.

And yet...

Again, I can't belong to the Lord and belong to the world at the same time.

You know, in chapter two, when John makes it clear, do not love the world or the things of the world.

In verse 16, he says, for all that is in the world, lust of the flesh and lust of the eyes and the pride of life is not of the father, but it's of the world.

This is fascinating because you can go all the way back to the very beginning.

Remember in Genesis chapter three, 350 plus days ago.

In Genesis chapter three, you have Eve in the garden of Eden and the serpent comes into the garden and begins to tempt Eve to doubt the father's love for her, to choose to be of the world and not of the father, not of God, but of the world.

And he points out the fruit of the tree.

And it says there in Genesis chapter three, verse six, it says the woman saw that the tree was good for food, pleasing to the eye, also desirable for gaining wisdom.

Now, I don't know if you can catch this, but this is a little bit of a connection here.

This is a little bit of some balance, some symmetry here.

It was good for food, lust of the flesh, right?

That sense that it's going to taste good.

It'll satisfy my flesh here.

Lust of the eyes.

She saw that it was pleasing to the eye.

And the pride of life, also desirable for gaining wisdom.

Remember, the goal was, God doesn't want you to become like him.

Don't be like gods who know.