1 John 2 -- Worldy

There are so many things I have yet to learn about following Christ. One of the things I have always struggled with is the connection to the world. WE are admonished to not be worldly, at the same time we are told to be in the world and not of the world. So I have always wondered what is the appropriate relationship between a Christ Follower and the world.

First, not everything in the world is bad. There are some groups of Christ followers who would have us believe everything in the world is bad, and we should avoid the things of this world as much as we can. However, the world and the things in it are not all bad, we must remember that it is God who created the world, and continues to develop the people who populate our world.

Second, there are some things that need to be avoided. While not everything is the world is bad and needs to be avoided, there are some things which are better not engaged with. There is no room for violence, injustice and disenfranchisement when following Christ. The world around us tends to specialize in these things.

So what are we to do? Remember whose we are. When we follow Christ we are called to be transforming agents of the world, and not being transformed by the world. We should have a connection with the world, its arts, its people, everything in it. However, we should be connected through the transforming love and grace of Jesus Christ.