The following is a way you might interpret lust. I know that everyone may not agree, but my sex life does not exist to please you. In fact it is like many things a gift from God that I enjoy while I am on this earth.
Do as you will, this is just how I'm dealing with crap.
So I've been reading Job lately, almost through. I desire that God would make me like Job, that nothing would tear me from him. However I am still a human being, I know that at times I do sinful things. So I came across this verse, and the verse said (paraphrasing) "I made a covenant with my eyes to not look at another woman in lust."
Alarm bells started going off. This is the oft touted scripture used to justify not looking at "dirty movies, pictures and books". Well if you know me you know I think that approach is not a loving approach. I think your personal life is between you and God. Of course if you are married you have obligations to your wife to live up to as well. I am not married. I double checked and as our split was due to infidelity on her part I am cleared of guilt. I could remarry, God has yet to bring me someone that I feel truly challenges me and makes me want to be a better man.
Which brings us to a point. First point, for those counting, is that I am not married and may never be so. Therefore how can I commit adultery?
The legalese I have heard is that since I may one day marry and if I look on a woman, or am with a woman in lust I am committing great sin against my future wife.That may very well be so. However I'm pretty sure my vows will say I will love honor and cherish her "from this day forward". I do not plan to have retroactive marriage vows. I'm not particularly jazzed about belonging to someone other than God. If I do get into that sort of commitment with God as my adviser he will help me to be smart about it. He will give me wisdom.
Point two:
Christ says in Matthew 5 "27"You have heard that it was said, 'YOU SHALL NOT COMMIT ADULTERY'; 28but I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart. 29"If your right eye makes you stumble, tear it out and throw it from you; for it is better for you to lose one of the parts of your body, than for your whole body to be thrown into hell.…"
So this is an intense verse. It almost sounds like Jesus is saying to never look at a woman at all. Both the verses I discussed made me have to look up what lust means. Our society misuses words on a daily basis so I needed to know.
Lust is desired by some as a strong desire. But the definition that clicked with my heart was that lust is any desire that we put before God and the commitments we make to him. So if you look at a woman and it causes you to yearn to cheat on your wife (breaking a vow to God), or to stray from his path or his word, well then yes God will get upset.
One thing I know from a relationship with him is that he hates idolatry. He does not make us to be two faced. If you look on a woman and desire to sin with her then yes, you have committed a sin. If you look at a man and desire to kill him you have also sinned, does the book not say?
But if you look at any wonderful thing and say this "That is a wonderful thing. I'm glad God has created wonderful things. Someday if he is graceful enough to give me that thing or something like it I think that would be pretty grand." Where is the sin? If you do all things as unto God is he not good to guide you not to sin?
Now I may be justifying, and I have begged God to make my eyes clear on the matter. But I have not sinned against a wife I do not have. Because if I marry again it will be for love and she will help me as God does. God will send her as a guide to my stumbling feet and my weak flesh, and I to hers. God does not begrudge me having my daydreams. He doesn't even at least at present mind me using pictures to make those dreams more real. He desires my heart and he has it. Though I find those women beautiful and I would be filled with joy to love such a woman, I don't plan adultery with them. In the same manner when I watch a violent movie I don't plan or desire to murder anyone. I understand that it's a story. Christ was a storyteller and at times to make a point he'd kill off the protagonist or someone in the story. However Christ did not sin. I write stories as well, but it is not my desire to live them, it is my desire to tell them.
God is generous and he alone can judge. I know that what I just said will be picked apart by biblical scholars. But look, call what something is what it is. Envy and greed are sinful, yet we allow them to run rampant and wild through our society. When greed is kept in check by men who put gratitude and love before the desire for earthly things we may at last try and crack down on other forms of envy. However until you attack the sinful money worship with the same fervor that you attack sex, you attack the symptom but not the disease. Our wives are gifts from God. All gifts from God are good, and God is happy that we see it is good. But he does not want us worshiping the gifts. Don't worship your wife or any other woman. They are your gift from God, but they cannot save your soul. If you confide in the Lord and seek him first his promises are steadfast.
I hope that I have found wisdom, but even wisdom when found is a gift from God. He can tear it from you if you don't know the source. Any "God" other than the one whom you can have a personal relationship with is a false God. I challenge you if you talked to your money, asked it to grant you love, or security, or peace, would it answer you? Look at history, is money a steadfast assurance of success? Or are there greater powers on this earth than the feeble creations of man.
Do as you will, this is just how I'm dealing with crap.
So I've been reading Job lately, almost through. I desire that God would make me like Job, that nothing would tear me from him. However I am still a human being, I know that at times I do sinful things. So I came across this verse, and the verse said (paraphrasing) "I made a covenant with my eyes to not look at another woman in lust."
Alarm bells started going off. This is the oft touted scripture used to justify not looking at "dirty movies, pictures and books". Well if you know me you know I think that approach is not a loving approach. I think your personal life is between you and God. Of course if you are married you have obligations to your wife to live up to as well. I am not married. I double checked and as our split was due to infidelity on her part I am cleared of guilt. I could remarry, God has yet to bring me someone that I feel truly challenges me and makes me want to be a better man.
Which brings us to a point. First point, for those counting, is that I am not married and may never be so. Therefore how can I commit adultery?
The legalese I have heard is that since I may one day marry and if I look on a woman, or am with a woman in lust I am committing great sin against my future wife.That may very well be so. However I'm pretty sure my vows will say I will love honor and cherish her "from this day forward". I do not plan to have retroactive marriage vows. I'm not particularly jazzed about belonging to someone other than God. If I do get into that sort of commitment with God as my adviser he will help me to be smart about it. He will give me wisdom.
Point two:
Christ says in Matthew 5 "27"You have heard that it was said, 'YOU SHALL NOT COMMIT ADULTERY'; 28but I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart. 29"If your right eye makes you stumble, tear it out and throw it from you; for it is better for you to lose one of the parts of your body, than for your whole body to be thrown into hell.…"
So this is an intense verse. It almost sounds like Jesus is saying to never look at a woman at all. Both the verses I discussed made me have to look up what lust means. Our society misuses words on a daily basis so I needed to know.
Lust is desired by some as a strong desire. But the definition that clicked with my heart was that lust is any desire that we put before God and the commitments we make to him. So if you look at a woman and it causes you to yearn to cheat on your wife (breaking a vow to God), or to stray from his path or his word, well then yes God will get upset.
One thing I know from a relationship with him is that he hates idolatry. He does not make us to be two faced. If you look on a woman and desire to sin with her then yes, you have committed a sin. If you look at a man and desire to kill him you have also sinned, does the book not say?
But if you look at any wonderful thing and say this "That is a wonderful thing. I'm glad God has created wonderful things. Someday if he is graceful enough to give me that thing or something like it I think that would be pretty grand." Where is the sin? If you do all things as unto God is he not good to guide you not to sin?
Now I may be justifying, and I have begged God to make my eyes clear on the matter. But I have not sinned against a wife I do not have. Because if I marry again it will be for love and she will help me as God does. God will send her as a guide to my stumbling feet and my weak flesh, and I to hers. God does not begrudge me having my daydreams. He doesn't even at least at present mind me using pictures to make those dreams more real. He desires my heart and he has it. Though I find those women beautiful and I would be filled with joy to love such a woman, I don't plan adultery with them. In the same manner when I watch a violent movie I don't plan or desire to murder anyone. I understand that it's a story. Christ was a storyteller and at times to make a point he'd kill off the protagonist or someone in the story. However Christ did not sin. I write stories as well, but it is not my desire to live them, it is my desire to tell them.
God is generous and he alone can judge. I know that what I just said will be picked apart by biblical scholars. But look, call what something is what it is. Envy and greed are sinful, yet we allow them to run rampant and wild through our society. When greed is kept in check by men who put gratitude and love before the desire for earthly things we may at last try and crack down on other forms of envy. However until you attack the sinful money worship with the same fervor that you attack sex, you attack the symptom but not the disease. Our wives are gifts from God. All gifts from God are good, and God is happy that we see it is good. But he does not want us worshiping the gifts. Don't worship your wife or any other woman. They are your gift from God, but they cannot save your soul. If you confide in the Lord and seek him first his promises are steadfast.
I hope that I have found wisdom, but even wisdom when found is a gift from God. He can tear it from you if you don't know the source. Any "God" other than the one whom you can have a personal relationship with is a false God. I challenge you if you talked to your money, asked it to grant you love, or security, or peace, would it answer you? Look at history, is money a steadfast assurance of success? Or are there greater powers on this earth than the feeble creations of man.
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