As Christians, we are not immune to the natural tendency to become like those we look up to. The world bombards us daily with opinions, worldviews, and outlooks on life. Without proper discernment, these influences can impact us and lead us astray. Society has always had its “influencers,” yet with the ease by which one can gain a large audience, the tendency today is to outdo the next person by being even more radical or polarizing. To attract more followers, people purposely act divisively, alienating those around them simply to stand out.

The Word of God is clear that we should not love the world or the things in the world (1 Jn. 2:15). This instruction, if taken out of context, has the potential to make us no different than those who pick up a random cause to differentiate themselves from those around them. The admonition from John continues by saying, “And now, little children, abide in Him” (v. 28). If we are simply characterized as being against something, that does not by itself bring glory to God. We ought to be known as those who are “for Christ”; and the natural implication of having our hearts captivated with Him will lead us to the conclusion that the world has no attraction to us.

If we find a tendency in our heart to be drawn into the things of this world, the answer is not to try to hate the world more; the answer is to spend more time with Christ. As we abide with Him, having our thoughts captivated by Him and bringing Him into each situation, we will find ourselves less attracted to the allures of this world and more conformed to Him: “But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord” (2 Cor. 3:18).