The body is not meant for sexual immorality, but for the Lord, and the Lord for the body…Flee from sexual immorality. Every other sin a person commits is outside the body, but the sexually immoral person sins against his own body. – 1 Corinthians 6:13, 18

Scripture reading: 1 Corinthians 6

Lust is disordered desire, for we were made to desire within the covenant between a man and a woman. Lust is wanting too much, unbridled desire, foolish desire. Lust is also wanting too little, satisfied with pleasure and relief rather than the superior satisfaction of trusting God and engaging in the hard work of a lifelong relationship with another person.

Jesus said in Matthew 15, “Out of the heart proceed adulteries, fornications, sexual immorality – these are what defile a man…” Someone once wrote, “lust is a problem with the heart above your belt before it is a problem with the heat below.” Lust is a rival to the work of the Holy Spirit in our hearts, one that is seeking to destroy us. It fits in well with today’s consumer attitude: my paramount demand is that my demands are met. Lust is a party for one. When we lust our world closes in; it feels like we are quenching a natural thirst, but we are entering a world without real water.

Jesus Christ said, “Everyone who looks at a woman with lustful intent has already committed adultery with her in his heart. If your right eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away.”

Suggestions for prayer

“My every sense is a snare to me…If I behold beauty it is a bait to lust…Keep me ever mindful of my natural state, but let me not forget my heavenly title, or the grace that can deal with every sin.” – The Valley of Vision: Self-Deprecation

This daily devotional is available in a print edition you can buy at Nearer to God Devotional. Rev. Mark Stewart serves the Burlington URC in Burlington, WA.