|
Forsaking Worldliness
|
"Be ye in the world, but not of the world."
This quote does not actually appear in scripture, but it represents the teachings of Jesus and of the prophets and apostles. |
“Blessed is the
man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked, or stand in the way of
sinners, or sit in the seat of mockers. But his delight is in the law of
the Lord, and on this law he meditates day and night.” - King David, Psalm
1, verses 1-2
|
Proverbs 23
[17] Let not thine heart envy sinners: but be thou in the fear of the LORD all the day long.
|
Ecclesiastes 1
|
[1] The words of the Preacher, the son of David, king in Jerusalem.
[2] Vanity of vanities, saith the Preacher, vanity of vanities; all is vanity.
[14] I have seen all the works that are done under the sun; and, behold, all is vanity and vexation of spirit.
|
|
Ecclesiastes 5
|
[10] He that loveth silver shall not be satisfied with silver; nor he that loveth abundance with increase: this is also vanity.
[11]
When goods increase, they are increased that eat them: and what good is
there to the owners thereof, saving the beholding of them with their
eyes?
[12] The sleep of a labouring man is
sweet, whether he eat little or much: but the abundance of the rich
will not suffer him to sleep.
[13] There is a sore evil which I have seen under the sun, namely, riches kept for the owners thereof to their hurt.
[14] But those riches perish by evil travail: and he begetteth a son, and there is nothing in his hand.
[15]
As he came forth of his mother's womb, naked shall he return to go as
he came, and shall take nothing of his labour, which he may carry away
in his hand.
|
|
Isaiah 5
|
[20]
Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for
light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for
bitter!
|
|
Isaiah 48
|
[20]
Go ye forth from Babylon, flee ye from the Chaldeans; with a voice of
singing declare ye, tell this, utter it even to the end of the earth;
say ye: The LORD hath redeemed His servant Jacob.
|
This verse is both literal and symbolic. Babylon respresents worldliness.
|
|
Isaiah 51
|
[7] Hearken
unto me, ye that know righteousness, the people in whose heart is my
law; fear ye not the reproach of men, neither be ye afraid of their
revilings.
[8] For the moth shall eat them up like a garment,
and the worm shall eat them like wool: but my righteousness shall be
for ever, and my salvation from generation to generation.
|
|
Matthew 16
|
[24] Then said Jesus unto his disciples, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.
[25] For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it.
[26]
For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose
his own soul? or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?
|
|
Mark 4
Jesus teaches the parable of the sower:
|
[3] Hearken; Behold, there went out a sower to sow:
[7] And some (seeds) fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up, and choked it, and it yielded no fruit.
[18] And these are they which are sown among thorns; such as hear the word,
[19]
And the cares of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, and the
lusts of other things entering in, choke the word, and it becometh
unfruitful.
|
See also Matthew 13
|
Mark 8
|
[34]
And when he had called the people unto him with his disciples also, he
said unto them, Whosoever will come after me, let him deny himself, and
take up his cross, and follow me.
[35] For
whosoever will save his life shall lose it; but whosoever shall lose
his life for my sake and the gospel's, the same shall save it.
[36] For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?
[37] Or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?
[38]
Whosoever therefore shall be ashamed of me and of my words in this
adulterous and sinful generation; of him also shall the Son of man be
ashamed, when he cometh in the glory of his Father with the holy angels.
|
|
Luke 16
|
[13]
No servant can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and
love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other.
Ye cannot serve God and mammon.
[14] And the Pharisees also, who were covetous, heard all these things: and they derided him.
[15]
And he said unto them, Ye are they which justify yourselves before men;
but God knoweth your hearts: for that which is highly esteemed among
men is abomination in the sight of God.
|
|
Luke 21
|
[34]
And take heed to yourselves, lest at any time your hearts be
overcharged with surfeiting, and drunkenness, and cares of this life,
and so that day come upon you unawares.
[35] For as a snare shall it come on all them that dwell on the face of the whole earth.
[36]
Watch ye therefore, and pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy to
escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before
the Son of man.
|
|
John 12
|
[42]
Nevertheless among the chief rulers also many believed on him; bu t
because of the Pharisees they did not confess him, lest they should be
put out of the synagogue:
[43] For they loved the praise of men more than the praise of God.
|
|
John 15
|
[17] These things I command you, that ye love one another.
[18] If the world hate you, ye know that it hated me before it hated you.
[19]
If ye were of the world, the world would love his own: but because ye
are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore
the world hateth you.
|
|
Romans 12
[1]
I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye
present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God,
which is your reasonable service.
[2]
And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the
renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and
acceptable, and perfect, will of God.
|
1 Corinthians 7:31
...for the fashion of this world passeth away.
|
Ephesians 4 [17]
This I say therefore, and testify in the Lord, that ye henceforth walk
not as other Gentiles walk, in the vanity of their mind,
[18] Having
the understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God
through the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of
their heart:
[19] Who being past feeling have given themselves over unto lasciviousness, to work all uncleanness with greediness.
[20] But ye have not so learned Christ;
[21] If so be that ye have heard him, and have been taught by him, as the truth is in Jesus:
[22] That ye put off concerning the former conversation the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts;
[23] And be renewed in the spirit of your mind;
[24] And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness. |
|
1 Thessalonians 5
[22] Abstain from all appearance of
evil. |
Titus 2
[11] For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men,
[12]
Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live
soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world;
[13] Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ;
|
Hebrews 13
[5]
Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such
things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor
forsake thee.
[6] So that we may boldly say, The Lord is my helper, and I will not fear what man shall do unto me.
|
James 1
[26]
If any man among you seem to be religious, and bridleth not his tongue,
but deceiveth his own heart, this man's religion is vain.
[27]
Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit
the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world.
|
James 4
[4]
Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the
world is enmity with God? whosoever therefore will be a friend of the
world is the enemy of God.
|
2 Peter 1
[1]
Simon Peter, a servant and an apostle of Jesus Christ, to them that
have obtained like precious faith with us through the righteousness of
God and our Saviour Jesus Christ:
[2] Grace and peace be multiplied unto you through the knowledge of God, and of Jesus our Lord,
[3]
According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that
pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath
called us to glory and virtue:
[4] Whereby are
given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye
might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption
that is in the world through lust.
|
1 John 2
[15] Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him.
[16]
For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of
the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the
world.
[17] And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever.
|
1 John 5
[19] And we know that we are of God, and the whole world lieth in wickedness.
|
See vision of the tree of life in 1 Nephi chapters 8 and 11.
1 Nephi 11
|
[33] And I, Nephi, saw that he (Jesus Christ) was lifted up upon the cross and slain for the sins of the world.
[34]
And after he was slain I saw the multitudes of the earth, that they
were gathered together to fight against the apostles of the Lamb; for
thus were the twelve called by the angel of the Lord.
[35]
And the multitude of the earth was gathered together; and I beheld that
they were in a large and spacious building, like unto the building
which my father saw. And the angel of the Lord spake unto me again,
saying: Behold the world and the wisdom thereof; yea, behold the house
of Israel hath gathered together to fight against the twelve apostles
of the Lamb.
[36]
And it came to pass that I saw and bear record, that the great and
spacious building was the pride of the world; and it fell, and the fall
thereof was exceedingly great. And the angel of the Lord spake unto me
again, saying: Thus shall be the destruction of all nations, kindreds,
tongues, and people, that shall fight against the twelve apostles of
the Lamb.
|
|
2 Nephi 4
[34]
O Lord, I have trusted in thee, and I will trust in thee forever. I
will not put my trust in the arm of flesh; for I know that cursed is he
that putteth his trust in the arm of flesh. Yea, cursed is he that
putteth his trust in man or maketh flesh his arm.
|
2 Nephi 8:7 (See also Isaiah 51:7)
Hearken
unto me, ye that know righteousness, the people in whose heart I have
written my law, fear ye not the reproach of men, neither be ye afraid
of their revilings.
|
Alma 39:14
Seek not after riches nor the vain things of this world; for behold, you cannot carry them with you.
|
Moroni 8:16-17
. . . and I fear not what man can do; for perfect love casteth out all fear. And I am filled with charity, which is everlasting love . . .
|
Doctrine & Covenants 38 [40]
And again, I say unto you, I give unto you a commandment, that every
man, both elder, priest, teacher, and also member, go to with his
might, with the labor of his hands, to prepare and accomplish the
things which I have commanded. [41] And let your preaching be the warning voice, every man to his neighbor, in mildness and in meekness. [42] And go ye out from among the wicked. Save yourselves. Be ye clean that bear the vessels of the Lord. Even so. Amen. |
Doctrine & Covenants 53
[2]
Behold, I, the Lord, who was crucified for the sins of the world,
give unto you a commandment that you shall forsake the world.
|
Doctrine & Covenants 59
[9]
And that thou mayest more fully keep thyself unspotted from the world,
thou shalt go to the house of prayer and offer up thy sacraments upon
my holy day;
|
The following story can be used as a methapor for the dangers of worldliness.
The Sirens were sea nymphs in Greek mythology. They were represented in early Greek art by birds with the heads of women.
The
Sirens lured approaching sailors by their enchanting singing. In some
depictions, the Sirens also played the lyre and flute. The overpowering
music caused the sailors to crash their ships against the rocky cliffs
and drown.
Odysseus had all
his sailors plug their ears with beeswax to that they could escape the
Sirens. Odysseus himself wanted to hear the Siren's melodies so he had
his sailors tie him to the mast. He then ordered the sailors to untie
him when he heard the Siren's beautiful song, but the sailors ignored
him. The sailor released Odysseus when they were no longer within
earshot. (Odyssey XII, 39)
The Germans had a similar legend about a Siren name Lorelei who lured boatmen in the Rhine to destruction.
|
The American people are increasingly becoming immoral, fat, lazy and stupid. - Joseph Farah
|
|
|
If you live in another country and cannot afford a Bible, then please contact:
|
|
|
Inspirational and Religious Books
|
Other Vibrationdata Pages: Home | Bibles | Search
|