Scripture:
- Proverbs 6:25-29
Observations:
We already know the "don'ts". What I want to focus on is the "playing with fire" aspect. Solomon is asking two important questions to those lusting after another woman and/or considering adultery if not actually committing it.
"Can a man scoop fire into his lap without being burned?"Can a man entertain thoughts of lust without them affecting his mind or actions?
Can a man have a mere "harmless" affair?
"Can a man walk on hot coals without his feet being scorched?"Can a man begin to walk down dangerous paths without coming to some kind of harm?
Solomon sums it up: "So is he who sleeps with another man's wife; no-one who touches her will go unpunished."
There is no such thing as a harmless sin, especially regarding sexual sin. There will always be some effect on the sinner and collateral damage to those the sinner's close to.
So, drawing to Solomon's first statement, "Do not lust in your heart after her beauty or let her captivate you with her eyes."
Men, we need to be on guard and ready for temptation. Sometimes it is in the form of a woman actively tempting you. Other times it is all in your mind - an invitation to look more deeply or to fantasize.
What's interesting is that verse 26 describes some of the effect of adultery and sexual sin, that a prostitute will bring one to beggary and an affair with an adulterous woman will cost one one's life. From these ideas come the questions about playing with fire. Do you really think you're immune from the ruin that will inevitably come? Are you immune to poverty and ruin? Are you immune to losing your life? Sexual sin is like a fire in many ways: it looks very warm and enticing, but when you reach out to grab hold of it, you are left with only blistering wounds.
Application:
Well, seeing as I kinda laid this whole breakdown in a reverse/senseless order, let's try and pull it together.
Stay away from lust and sexual sin; such matters will ruin you. You think you're special or unique, that you won't be burned, but you will be - no-one who engages in such a sin goes unpunished.
I know I need to keep a conscious reminder of the dangers of sexual sin. Many times, I treat it as an irritation that needs to be cast off, like a leech or a cancer on my back, when in truth it is a burning poison that needs to be purged from me and avoided at all costs, lest I be destroyed.
~ ~ ~
The Love Dare
Day 29: Love's Motivation
"When God is your reason for loving, your ability to love is guaranteed."A true statement and one that the authors demonstrate first an a parent-respecting manner, but then expand to other spheres"
"Work. “Do your work heartily, as for the Lord rather than for men” (Colossians 3:23).
Service. “Obey those who are your masters on earth, not with external service, as those who merely please men, but with sincerity of heart, fearing the Lord” (Colossians 3:22).
Everything. “Work hard at “whatever you do … knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance. It is the Lord Christ whom you serve” (Colossians 3:23-24).
Even marriage. “Wives, be subject to your husbands, as is fitting in the Lord” (Colossians 3:18). “Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself up for her” (Ephesians 5:25). The love that’s demanded from you in marriage is not dependent on your mate’s sweetness or suitability. The love between a husband and wife should have one chief objective: honoring the Lord with devotion and sincerity. The fact that it blesses our beloved in the process is simply a wonderful, additional benefit."
That last bit, that marriage's love is independent of you spouse's character or attitude is very telling for me. I know I'm guilty of being a conditional lover. I'll love when I feel like it or when I'm in the mood and/or feel loved. Instead, I need to be loving my wife out of a desire to honour God, using the love given to me by God.
This is a lot of control issues here. I need to give up my ability to fight sin to God and wait on him for his deliverance. I need to give up my in-/ability to love my wife and instead submit to God for both the timing and motivation. Living after God is very sacrificial and I'm very much a control freak.
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