These verses are not very uplifting, but are important for us to think about because we are told to understand what they say so that we will not be caught by surprise. We are told to expect difficult times in the last days, the time in which we live. As you listen to the news, it is clear that life is becoming much more difficult for many, especially in countries where there is persecution. These difficulties arise from our sin. The list of sins given is long and needs to be guarded against by believers. If we are not walking close to the Lord and spending quality time with him and the word of God we will find these undesirable characteristics creeping into our lies.
Verse 4 ends with a conclusion that it is easy for us to fall in love with pleasure found in the world rather than loving God who can provide us with a living hope and a quality of life that is so much beyond the emptiness of pleasure. Be careful of people who are friendly with the world, who have the appearance of godliness, but under times of difficulty fall away because by their pride they deny the power of God. People who love pleasure more than God, who have the appearance of godliness but lack its power seems to be a pretty good description of our western cultural church of today.
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