"No Greater Love"

"And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever." (1 John 2:17) I guess what I am trying to say here today, is that God's love gives us more to look forward to than anything that is available in this world; period! And yet we are caught time and time again searching for some kind of fulfillment for this temporary earning; something that brings pleasure to a dying vessel, maybe even satisfaction. However, that is not the way it works; we can not satisfy the flesh, because it always wants more than we can give it. Within the verse above are two very different words; one points to destruction, while the other points towards eternal life. The first word which we see is the word 'lust', which is the word 'epithumia', and is not just a want, as in I desire something, although the word can mean that; but this is strong desire, or longing for. I find that in the times when I feel distant from God, are the times when I am longing for things here more than the things of heaven; it is that kind of longing, where you are wanting to satisfy something which cannot be brought into a state of fulfillment; and which creates an appetite for only more of the same. The other word, which is in the total opposite direction, is the word 'will', as in the "will of God"; which surprisingly is a noun, because it is the result of the will. The word we are talking about is the word 'thelema', with is from the word 'theo' which means to will; however, the suffix -ma indicates that it is the result of the will. Will, not to be conceived as a demand, but as an expression or inclination of pleasure towards that which is liked, that which pleases and creates joy. This that we are talking about here brings fulfillment, because it is based upon something that is greater than ourselves; something which can not be matched by our own fleshly desires; therefore, it brings satisfaction on a whole different level. Oddly enough, this same word 'thelema' is used in John 1:13, and is expressed as "the will of the flesh"; however, this same term is used in Ephesians 2:3 where it is referring to the desires of the flesh, or lust; but in John 1:13 it is referring to something altogether different, and that which sparks a ton of controversy among Believers. What makes this word 'thelema' so hard to understand, is not that it is opposite the word used for 'lust', which is how it is used in the verse we find in 1 John 2:17; but it is really how similar these two words can express desire, and can actually cause a life to move in a certain direction... "Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling: for it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of His good pleasure." (Philippians 2:12 & 13)