LIVE From Ft. Worth: Am I a Woman Who Loves the World?

"At the end of the day, worldliness is the celebration of self." -Dr. Crawford Loritts

Last night at the True Woman '10 conference in Ft. Worth, Dr. Crawford Loritts opened the evening by giving us a pastor's look at how we--as followers of Christ and God's true women--are to relate to the world. He challenged me (and the 3,700+ other women in the room!) with three plain and simple exhortations from 1 John 2:15-17. Here they are:

First, don't love the world.

So, what does it mean to love the world? Dr. Loritts explained that it doesn't mean that you can't have stuff or that you retreat from the world. It's not that you have more or less rules than the next person.

What does it mean then?

It means that you can't give the world the affection that belongs to God.

• "Do I love the world or the world's system more than God?"
• "Do I love God or the things he provides?"
• "Do I love the attention of others more than I love what God says?"

I think we could've stopped with this first point, but he helped us go deeper still.

Secondly, we need to see the world for what it is.

You see, worldliness, said Dr. Loritts, is a celebration of self. It's actually self-idolization. We say to ourselves, "How great thou art!"

Ouch!

Dr. Loritts walked us through what John says we must avoid: the desires of the flesh, the desires of the eyes, and the pride in possessions. What we feel; we do. What we see; we want. Then once we have the things of the world, we become "empty braggers." We worship what we have and become people of no substance.

"I am what my possessions have made me." -Dr. Crawford Loritts

Instead of loving the world, I must surrender my desires and worship God. Instead of letting the world define me, I am defined by my relationship with God.

Finally, live your allegiance.

Dr. Loritts made the clear, biblical distinction that while the earth and all the stuff in it will pass away, the people (that includes true women) who align themselves with the plan, purposes, and processes of God will abide forever. I want in on that!

So how do I know if I am a woman who is in love with the world? Here are three questions to ask:

• First, the motive question:
  When I sense myself being drawn by my desires, ask: "Why do I want this?"
• Second, the worship question:
  Does this desire consume me, control me, or change me? If so, it's idolatry.
• Third, the purity question:
  Am I clean? Is my heart contaminated? If so, I must keep coming back to Jesus.