Thursday Reading: Romans 7:7-13
Key Verse: Romans 7:7
7 What shall we say then? Is the law sin? Let it not be said! But I did not know sin except through the law. For also I did not know lust except the law said, You shall not lust.
Devotion:
Yes I know it’s the same verse… But to round things off I am going to look at the side of this verse that most of us don’t want to acknowledge and that is lust. And it is not just the lust of our bodies for others that we need to watch out for because lust runs so much deeper than that as it reaches so many parts of our lives. When we mention lust we immediately think of the lust that one would have for another person and that in itself brings a frightful thought or two into mind so I shall not dwell on this but for this devotion today!
I suppose lust could best be described as the uncontrollable desire for something that we want; or at least that is how man would describe it so that man may get away with some thoughts that he ought not to have. You see, as soon as we start talking about it we immediately go on the defensive so that we can explain things away or get around the law in some way or another… None of that is right; lust is lust and should not be something we try to sweep under the carpet after we have done it!
God has given us His Word, our Bibles, The Law, so that we can know what is wrong. He has given it to us up front so that we may learn from it and that we should not want to go there if we know that it will end up causing us an issue. Love is the exact opposite of lust because love is so pure, so strong and so righteous when compared with any part of lust. Lust is the hidden side, the side we don’t want to show, the side we don’t even want to acknowledge.
God wants us to be able to see lust for what it is before it turns round and bites us. God wants us to be able to identify the things that will lead to lust so that we may avoid them to start with. God wants us to experience love and not lust because it is the lust that corrupts and not the love. Love will build up whereas lust will break down. Be careful for love. Be careful of lust.
Points to Ponder:
Do you get carried away?
Do you trust the inerrant Word of God?