Being a friend of the world

“You adulterous people, don’t you know that friendship with the world is hatred toward God? Anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God.” James 4:4
Over and over, the Bible warns us against becoming too friendly with the world. ‘The world’ in this context means the world system that is controlled by Satan (not the planet Earth). Why is it such a problem for us to be friends with the world? Because becoming friends means that you have something in common – common interests, or common values. This is where the problem lies: the values that the world holds in high regard – pushing yourself forward, pleasing yourself in everything, standing up for your rights, succeeding at all costs, anything goes if you can get away with it – are the complete opposite of the values that the Bible encourages us to develop as Christians: putting God first in our live, putting others’ needs ahead of our own, dying to our sin nature, being accountable to God, humbling ourselves, etc. When it all boils down, the world loves that which God hates – sin.
Just as in our human friendships, the same is true in the spiritual realm as well: whoever you spend the most time with, is what you will become like yourself. If we spend too much time around worldly people, we will become like them: selfish, obsessed with money and bodily desires, etc. But if we spend time with the Lord, we will become like Him. The choice is ours.