One of my friends put a picture of their child on Facebook and captioned it, “My whole world.” I’ve seen this sentiment (which is not necessarily bad, by the way) several times. But if they’re being honest (and not exaggerating), this raises the question of whether there’s room for God in their world.
Children (Psalm 127:3) and spouses (Genesis 2:18) are blessings from God. However, everything good can be bad if too much attention is given to it. The Lord Jesus said in Matthew 10:37-39, “He who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me. And he who loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me. And he who does not take his cross and follow after Me is not worthy of Me. He who finds his life will lose it, and he who loses his life for My sake will find it.” My “whole world” should be God and my relationship to Him.
If I have, as my “whole world,” an attitude of pleasing God, then I will always put Him first in every decision (Matthew 6:33). This is exactly what God wants, and this decision-making has some incredibly practical ramifications:
- First, my language. I need to repent of my profanity of mouth and heart (Romans 3:14; Ephesians 4:29; 5:4; Colossians 3:8). This kind of language is polluted or defiled. I also need to refrain from slander (Psalm 101:5; Proverbs 10:18) and gossip (Proverbs 11:13; 1 Timothy 5:13).
- Second, my friends. Good friends are worth their weight in gold (Proverbs 27:9). Be a good friend like Andrew who brought Peter to Jesus (John 1:40-41) and Philip who brought Nathaniel to Jesus (John 1:45).
- Third, my dress. According to Peter, when we get the heart right, everything else will fall in place (1 Peter 3:3-4). A Christian should dress so as to reflect that their minds are occupied with nobler thoughts. If the inner person is as God wants, the outward person in dress will reflect it.
- Fourth, my faithfulness. Faithful means “trustworthy, dependable, or reliable.” In other words, it is someone who does not quit, even in the face of problems (Matthew 25:21, 23; 1 Corinthians 4:1-2, 17; Revelation 17:14)
Enjoy your family as gifts from God, but let God be your “whole world.” Serve Him, love His law, and love His people.
Kyle Campbell
