Of this world?

Tonight I was reading Day 2 of Week 5 of our church's study on the book of John. One of today's readings was in John 15. As I was reading, John 15:19 caught my attention. The verse reads "If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world,but I have chosen you out of this world. That is why the world hates you."

It's as if God is saying "Child, why do you cry? Why do you do that to your self? Why do you run? Why do you let them treat you that way? Why do you get caught up in the hype? You deserve more. You are not of this world.
Isaiah 60:11-22(MSG) says "What's that we see in the distance, a cloud on the horizon, like doves darkening the sky? It's ships from the distant islands, the famous Tarshish ships Returning your children from faraway places, loaded with riches, with silver and gold, And backed by the name of your God, The Holy of Israel, showering you with splendor. Foreigners will rebuild your walls, and their kings assist you in the conduct of worship. When I was angry I hit you hard. It's my desire now to be tender. Your Jerusalem gates will always be open —open house day and night!— Receiving deliveries of wealth from all nations, and their kings, the delivery boys! Any nation or kingdom that doesn't deliver will perish; those nations will be totally wasted. The rich woods of Lebanon will be delivered —all that cypress and oak and pine— To give a splendid elegance to my Sanctuary, as I make my footstool glorious. The descendants of your oppressor will come bowing and scraping to you. All who looked down at you in contempt will lick your boots. They'll confer a title on you: City of God, Zion of The Holy of Israel. Not long ago you were despised refuse— out-of-the-way, unvisited, ignored. But now I've put you on your feet, towering and grand forever, a joy to look at! ...You'll know that I, God, am your Savior, your Redeemer, Champion of Jacob. I'll give you only the best—no more hand-me-downs! Gold instead of bronze, silver instead of iron, bronze instead of wood, iron instead of stones. I'll install Peace to run your country, make Righteousness your boss. There'll be no more stories of crime in your land, no more robberies, no more vandalism. You'll name your main street Salvation Way, and install Praise Park at the center of town. You'll have no more need of the sun by day nor the brightness of the moon at night. God will be your eternal light, your God will bathe you in splendor. Your sun will never go down, your moon will never fade. I will be your eternal light. Your days of grieving are over. All your people will live right and well, in permanent possession of the land. They're the green shoot that I planted, planted with my own hands to display my glory. The runt will become a great tribe, the weakling become a strong nation. I am God. At the right time I'll make it happen."

Amen!!! Talk about a promise!!!! Sometimes I forget that I am not of this world. If this world loves me, there must be something off with my Jesus relationship. The world should not love us, because we are children of God, and the world hates God. Soooo if we want to be more like Him, we need to really be more like Him and not of this world. Easier said than done! The world wants us to get distracted by fame, celebrities, tv shows, music, the news, war, people, movies, our electronic devices, books, food, and so much more. They are all desires of our flesh, not of our soul. I can honestly say that I have been victim of my own fleshly desires. Being a victim to the world may seem harmless and fun, but pretty soon you will find that your relationship with Jesus is dry, and shallow. You need rain in a dry land!!!! And we fall on our knees again begging for our cup to be filled with the water of life undeserving in our desperate misery. Pride comes before a fall...on our knees. We must remember that the world is not after us for our own good, but after our desire for our Savior.

So I leave you with this question: Does the world love you? If so- do you love the world back?