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In The Garden Daily Devotional
Series: A Walk Through Matthew
"Eyes That Wander"
Pastor Wayne Clabaugh
SCRIPTURE TEXT: "And if thy right eye offend thee, pluck it out, and
cast it from thee: for it is profitable for thee that
one of thy members should perish, and not that thy whole
body should be cast into hell." Matthew 5:29 (KJV)
I want to speak shortly today - about the way that we
“offend ourselves” through our eyes.
I have recently
prayed with a young man who is in youth ministry - who
has a terrible time with pornography. He says, "I can't
help it! It's a sickness!"
I have another friend – unfortunately still in ministry,
who is also very open about his “potential” problem (his
words) with pornography. He keeps his Internet time to
email from the home office because he knows that once he
gets started on pornography he cannot stop. He says that
even ads he would see would lead him to pornography
sites.
Well, "We've come a long way baby!" is a slogan that
has well served the female community and is never more
true than it is today. Statistics show that women now
have as much problems with pornography as men do. The
computer tech world calls it "eye-candy" and up until
now, that term has largely been in relation to graphics
which catch someone's eye and makes the viewer go "WOW".
Most of the "eye-candy" on the Internet was set-up to
make a particular page attractive and well-received. We
all know what came next.
But the internet is not the only source of offense to
the eyes. In every city, in almost every home, there's a
Television set: in some cases - there's one in every
room. Most all of those TV’s are hooked up to some form
of cable - although that doesn't even matter anymore. In
some of those homes, the only thing missing is the
flashing lights outside - marking their home as a
"Porno-shop". What goes on in there is unbelievable.
What’s more? They are our school teachers, our
ministers, our policemen and mayors of our cities... and
they defy anyone to tell them what they can do in their
own homes.
It reminds me of the story in the Bible in Exodus 12 -
now celebrated as the "Passover", where homes in the
land of Egypt that were not smeared with blood on the
door-posts were visited by he angel of death, and the
first born in that home would die.
If we had such a decree placed upon us today – we’d have
a blood bath of epic proportion. Think of it. The
father, the mother, maybe even grandma or grandpa
visited by the death angel because their lives were not
covered by the blood of Jesus. Yet, so many of those who
are delving in such “private practices” call themselves
Christians and say that they are under the blood. Yet,
look what Jesus says in the verses just before our text
for today…
“Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time,
Thou shalt not commit adultery: But I say unto you, That
whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath
committed adultery with her already in his heart.” Mat
5:27,28 (KJV)
Christian?
Look at what Paul says about it:
"What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that
grace may abound? God forbid. How shall we, that are
dead to sin, live any longer therein? Know ye not, that
so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were
baptized into his death? Therefore we are buried with
him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was
raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even
so we also should walk in newness of life." (vs. 1-4, KJV)
Oh Friend - it's time we begin remembering the blood. It
is the blood of Jesus that cleanses us from every stain
that can give us the VICTORY over such temptation. Be
careful little eyes what you see.
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