We do not live the lives of Christians.
By William Law. James 4.4 You adulterous people! Don't you know that friendship
with the world is enmity with God? Therefore, whoever wishes
to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God. If our daily life is not a common
course of humility, self-denial, renunciation of the world, poverty
of spirit and heavenly affection, we do not live the lives of Christians. It is thus plain that this and
this alone is Christianity, a uniform practice of all these virtues.
Yet it is as plain that there is little or nothing of this
to be found, even among those who profess to be the people
of God. You see them often at church,
attentive and pleased with fine preachers. But look into their
daily lives, and you see them just the same sort of people
as others are, who make no pretenses to godliness whatever. They have
the same taste for the world, the same worldly cares and fears
and joys, the same vain and worldly desires, and the same worldly
activities. You see the same fondness for
worldly honour. You see the same pride and vanity
of dress. You see the same self-love and
selfish indulgence. You see the same foolish friendships
and groundless hatreds. You see the same levity of mind
and trifling spirit. You see the same fondness for
diversions. You see the same idle dispositions. You see the same vain ways of
spending their time and money. You see the same vain and worldly
desires as the rest of the world who make no pretenses to Christianity. Do not love the world or anything
in the world. If anyone loves the world, the
love of the Father is not in him. For everything in the world,
the cravings of sinful man, the lust of his eyes, and the boasting
of what he has and does, comes not from the Father, but from
the world. First, John chapter 2 verses
15 and 16.