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The Weekly Devotion (click here to listen!)

"The Sin of Lust"

Matthew 5:27-30  "You have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’  But I say to you that whoever looks at a woman to lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart.  If your right eye causes you to sin, pluck it out and cast it from you; for it is more profitable for you that one of your members perish, than for your whole body to be cast into hell.  And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and cast it from you; for it is more profitable for you that one of your members perish, than for your whole body to be cast into hell."

Romans 13:13, 14  "Let us walk properly, as in the day, not in revelry and drunkenness, not in lewdness and lust, not in strife and envy.  But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to fulfill its lusts."

1 Corinthians 10:6  "Now these things became our examples, to the intent that we should not lust after evil things as they also lusted."

Galatians 5:16, 17  "I say then: Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh.  For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; and these are contrary to one another, so that you do not do the things that you wish."

1 John 2:16, 17  "For all that is in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—is not of the Father but is of the world.  And the world is passing away, and the lust of it; but he who does the will of God abides forever."

Insight: Christians should be avoiding lust because lust pleases the flesh.  Lusting doesn't please God and it doesn't edify others.  Actively try and love others and the Lord.  Lusting isn't loving.  Realize the difference between lust and love and choose love.

Prayer: "Thank you for loving us, Lord.  Thank you for showing us how to love.  Help us to love like You do.  Forgive us for lusting.  Forgive us for wanting to please ourselves without thinking about You and others, first.  Help us to obey You.  Thank you for blessing and rewarding us as we obey You and your Word.  Thank you for teaching us the right way to do things.  Help us to learn from Jesus' example.  Help us to be sensitive to your Holy Spirit.  You are an awesome God and You are never silent.  Let us seek You with our whole heart.  Thank you for revealing yourself to us.  Help us to see You as You really are.  In Jesus' name, Amen."

America's Foundation

Samuel Chase (1741-1811), who was appointed a Justice on the United States Supreme Court by George Washington, was also a signer of the Declaration of Independence and later served as the Chief Justice of the State of Maryland.  In the case of Runkel v. Winemiller, 1799, Justice Chase gave the courts opinion:

"Religion is of general and public concern, and on its support depend, in great measure, the peace and good order of government, the safety and happiness of the people."

"By our form of government, the Christian religion is the established religion; and all sects and denominations of Christians are placed upon the same equal footing, and are equally entitled to protection in their religious liberty."  - Runkel v. Winemiller, 4 Harris & McHenry 276,288 (Sup. Ct. Md. 1799).  David Barton, The Myth of Separation (Aledo, TX: WallBuilder Press, 1991), pp. 64, 151.  Runkel v. Winemiller, 4 Harris & McHenry (MD) 429 1 AD 411, 417 (Justice Chase).  "Our Christian Heritage," Letter from Plymouth Rock (Marlborough, NH: The Plymouth Rock Foundation), p. 4.

In 1799, a dispute arose over whether an Irish emigrant, Thomas M'Creery, who had become naturalized as an American citizen, was thereby able to leave an estate to a relative still living in Ireland.  The court decided in M'Creery's favor based on a certificate executed before Justice Chase:

"Thomas M'Creery, in order to become... naturalized according to the Act of Assemble... on the 30th of September, 1795, took the oath... before the Honorable Samuel Chase, Esquire, then being the Chief Judge of the State of Maryland... and did then and there receive from the said Chief Judge, a certificate thereof...: Maryland; I, Samuel Chase, Chief Judge of the State of Maryland, do hereby certify all whom it may concern, that... personally appeared before me Thomas M'Creery, and did repeat and subscribe a declaration of his belief in the Christian Religion, and take the oath required by the Act of Assembly of this State, entitled, An Act for Naturalization."  - M'Creey's Lessee v. Allender, 4 H. & Mett. 259 (1799).  David Barton, The Myth of Separation (Aledo, TX: WallBuilder Press, 1991), pp. 64.

A Moment of Introspection

Are you avoiding certain parts of God's Word because you don't like them or because they "don't fit with today"?

Keep track of everything you eat for one week!

Many of us eat all the time and don't consider what we eat.  Are we eating healthy foods, though?  Writing these things in a notebook or notepad can help us determine if we are getting enough nutrition (e.g. fruits, vegetables, grains, fiber, vitamins, etc.).

God bless you as you meet this week's challenge!

aner (Greek): men - a man, fellow, husband, sir, an individual male

The Skeptic's Annotated Bible: Corrected and Explained

"The Skeptic's Annotated Bible" claims:

Genesis 7:2 - "The male and his female ..." Notice that in the Bible female animals are the property of male animals, as women are the property of men.

"The Skeptic's Annotated Bible: Corrected and Explained" responds:

In this verse, this is phrase is used to designate that each male animal had an appropriate partner that could produce offspring.  Even though a possessive pronoun is used, it doesn't say that the female animal belonged to the male one and it surely doesn't mention a woman being the property of a man.

(This explanation came from "The Skeptic's Annotated Bible: Corrected and Explained", by Jason Gastrich.  This book is on CD and explains over 3,000 difficulties regarding the entire Bible at http://www.skepticsannotatedbible.org.)

Honor God in your dating/marriage relationship.

Sex with a single, married partner of the opposite sex and relationships are natural and from God.

There is a right way and time and a wrong way and time.

Obedience to God is mandatory for success.

Man has social, mental, physical, spiritual, and emotional needs.

Eve was a compatible helper for Adam.  She was qualified to fulfill God's mandate to man.

Lust pleases self at the expense of others.

Unmarried people that want to know how far they can go in a physical relationship should always stop before they lust.

Love pleases others at the expense of self.

He who loves me is he who helps me obey God.

Is your partner able to help you love God?  Is your partner willing and committed?

We cannot conceive what Eden or Adam were like.

There are rules and guidelines to relationships.

You can't do whatever you want; even in your own home.

If God would have given Adam Steve instead of Eve, there wouldn't be any people on the earth, today.

Find who God picks for your wife and your friends, then agree with Him.

Lust is a strong desire to have something that doesn't belong to you.

Love isn't deciding to like someone because they make you feel good.

Love is driven by commitment and not simply by feeling.

What is accepted on television today would be considered pornography in 1960.

Beware of capturing a girlfriend or boyfriend's attention by making them lust after you.  They'll have a problem with lust and you'll have to continue to make them lust to keep them.

The foundation of the Bible and your very existence is to love and obey God.

If you are disobeying God, then you are loving yourself over all others.

When you meet someone you want to know deeper, ask them about their spiritual life.

Be concerned about your short and long term relationship with God.

Use the things God made as He intended them.

These quotes came from God, me, and Miles McPhearson.

Do you need more quotes?  We have thousands in our archives!  They are located here: http://quotes.jcsm.org.

These quotes can be used for sanctification and fun. Most of them are directly based on scripture and scriptural principles. Some of the quotes are humorous or rhetorical, others are written from sermons and Bible studies, and some are lyrics from songs. If you’d like me to go into more detail on any of them, please email me.

Like most verses in the Bible, they can be debated. To use what I’ve written in the most beneficial way, try and trace them back to the scriptures and apply the true principles to your life in a meaningful way! Please don’t sell my quotes or publish them for profit. If English is not your first language, you may not understand some of the quotes. I'm sorry, but some of them are English metaphors and deal with multiple word meanings. God bless you all!

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Jesus loves you!

John 3:16 "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever should believe in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life."