Day 541: Evidence of Responsibility, Part 3 of 6: Do You Commit Adultery?Romans 2:22a
You who say that people should not commit adultery, do you commit adultery?
Thoughts for Today:Many of us feel that un-acted upon impulses or thoughts is not really sin. It only becomes sin if it is acted upon. Jesus clears this up for us in Matthew 5:28: "But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart."
James Allen (1864-1912) wrote: "The aphorism, 'As a man thinketh in his heart so is he,' not only embraces the whole of a man's being, but is so comprehensive as to reach out to every condition and circumstance of his life. A man is literally what he thinks, his character being the complete sum of all his thoughts." I think James Allen got it right although his "aphorism" is a quote from Proverbs 23:7a: "For as he thinks within himself, so he is." Or the King James Version: "For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he." The Bible agrees, we are indeed a sum total of our thoughts.
In our passage today, Paul asks the Jews: "Do you commit adultery?" God himself broadly defined adultery as not just relations with a member of the opposite sex (whether actual or fantasy), but all activity which takes us away from His influence and Lordship over our lives. (For more information on this subject: The Book of Hosea emphasizes all the ways the Jews had distanced themselves from God by establishing other priorities and chasing after other interests -- God considered all of this adultery.)
Questions to Ponder:If you consider God's definition of adultery -- have you been faithful? Have you been pursuing other interests or placing greater priority on activities not directed by the Lord? Do you need to re-order some of those activities? Do some need to be eliminated? "For as a man thinketh in his heart, so is he." What thoughts are in your heart? Would God be pleased? Do you need to do some housecleaning?
You who say that people should not commit adultery, do you commit adultery?
Thoughts for Today:Many of us feel that un-acted upon impulses or thoughts is not really sin. It only becomes sin if it is acted upon. Jesus clears this up for us in Matthew 5:28: "But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart."
James Allen (1864-1912) wrote: "The aphorism, 'As a man thinketh in his heart so is he,' not only embraces the whole of a man's being, but is so comprehensive as to reach out to every condition and circumstance of his life. A man is literally what he thinks, his character being the complete sum of all his thoughts." I think James Allen got it right although his "aphorism" is a quote from Proverbs 23:7a: "For as he thinks within himself, so he is." Or the King James Version: "For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he." The Bible agrees, we are indeed a sum total of our thoughts.
In our passage today, Paul asks the Jews: "Do you commit adultery?" God himself broadly defined adultery as not just relations with a member of the opposite sex (whether actual or fantasy), but all activity which takes us away from His influence and Lordship over our lives. (For more information on this subject: The Book of Hosea emphasizes all the ways the Jews had distanced themselves from God by establishing other priorities and chasing after other interests -- God considered all of this adultery.)
Questions to Ponder:If you consider God's definition of adultery -- have you been faithful? Have you been pursuing other interests or placing greater priority on activities not directed by the Lord? Do you need to re-order some of those activities? Do some need to be eliminated? "For as a man thinketh in his heart, so is he." What thoughts are in your heart? Would God be pleased? Do you need to do some housecleaning?
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