What does it mean to be a friend of the world? How am I personally tempted to be a friend of the world? I might find a clue in the rest of these verses. The world must be anything that replaces my dependance upon God and fellowship/communion with His Holy Spirit. Why? Because of this verse;
"Or do you think Scripture says without reason that the Spirit He caused to live in us envies intensely?" (v 5)
What does He envy? Our affection, our attention, our love, our devotion. Where does mine lie? If His Spirit living in me envies intensely, that tells me that He loves me intensely, that He wants my love back intensely.
"But He gives us more grace." (v 6)
More grace than what? It must be than the world. Don't go to the world for the grace you need to live each day. HE gives more grace!
Jeremiah 2:13 says; "For My people have committed two evils: they have forsaken Me, the Fountain of living waters, and they have hewn for themselves cisterns, broken cisterns which cannot hold water."
And Jeremiah 2:5 says; "Thus says the Lord: What unrighteousness did your fathers find in Me, that they went far from Me and [habitually] went after emptiness, falseness, and futility and themselves became fruitless and worthless?"
It seems the temptation to look elsewhere for grace and comfort is an old one. Lord, thank You for the endless grace You give me to face the challenges of each day. Please help me to recognise it and stay connected to You in prayer, drinking deeply from Your fountain of living water. Amen.
