You have heard the commandment that says, ‘You must not commit adultery.’ But I say, anyone who even looks at a woman with lust has already committed adultery with her in his heart. So if your eye--even your good eye--causes you to lust, gouge it out and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to be thrown into hell. And if your hand--even your stronger hand--causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to be thrown into hell. Matthew 5:27-30 (NLT)
Meditate. Think on these verses. Do you have ears to hear?
Would you choose a hibiscus or a tulip? Keep your eyes on the one you choose for life.
Jesus speaks again about one of the Ten Commandments. This time the one from Exodus 20:14. Do not commit adultery. Pretty straightforward. There are men and women sitting at His feet, hanging on His every word. They don’t usually talk about such things in mixed company, but here Jesus, the extraordinary young Rabbi is telling them, “don’t have sexual relation with someone else’s spouse.” Jesus goes even further than the original command. Don’t even look. No peeks, sideways glances, winks, sly comments, or lecherous compliments. No Lust. No misdirected desire. Some of His audience were probably convicted and squirming inside their own thoughts. Would they have got up and left if they had known just what Jesus was going to talk about?
The best advise on intimate relations that I ever heard, other than from this passage from Jesus, was from a gentleman with whom I worked for a short time. He said his grandfather had said, “Keep sex to yourself until you are married.” Good council. Tell that to your kids and grandkids. Jesus is even more explicit in teaching a life long learning detail. Don’t let your eyes and your heart drift to focusing on someone who is not your spouse. He goes on to talk about cutting off your hand or eye if you are in such a condition. Really?! Eyes and hands were important to work, whether for yourself or others—home, school, or occupation. Is there something else to do as punishment? Better to prevent the situation than to deal with an amputation event, or face an eternity of hell. Self-control is part of the fruit of the Holy Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23) and it is worthy of consideration in these additional verses.
He will die for lack of self-control; he will be lost because of his great foolishness. Proverbs 5:23 (NLT)
Jesus told those gathered around Him that they need to not be lustful—or there will be consequences to pay, which could include hell. That is the ultimate punishment. By God’s grace we have a choice. By choosing to obey God and not indulge in lustful feelings we take an obedient, righteous step alongside our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ towards heaven. The choice is up to each person. How do you choose?Teach the older men to exercise self-control, to be worthy of respect, and to live wisely. They must have sound faith and be filled with love and patience. Titus 2:2 (NLT)
Prayer ~ Lord Jesus, in Your mercy and grace I thank you for Your teaching about lustfulness. It is shameful that this may have been addressed to men, but applies to women lusting for men who are not their spouse, too. Forgive me, Lord, for times I had lustful feelings. Some may rationalize that it is just human to feel that way, but with self-control as a fruit of the Holy Spirit, there is hope that lust is a bygone thing.
Verse of Salvation ~ So prepare your minds for action and exercise self-control. Put all your hope in the gracious salvation that will come to you when Jesus Christ is revealed to the world. 1 Peter 1:13 (NLT)
© 2026 Text, photos, and illustrations by Mickey M. Hunacek. All rights reserved.
Portions reused from April 20, 2022, Banquet With The King, blog.
All scripture quoted from the New Living Translation (NLT) unless otherwise noted.
New Living Translation copyright © 1996, 2004, 2007 by Tyndale House Foundation.
Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Biblical search from Blue Letter Bible - http://v3.blueletterbible.org/search.cfm.
Books by Mickey M. Hunacek
Available as e-books or paperbacks at Amazon.com
Parenting Day By Day - Daily Devotional for Building Character
Coins in the Bible: New Testament Stories
No comments:
Post a Comment