The Lust of the heart

This morning I went to a sabbath school focused on the lust of the heart. In particular we were studying Matthew 9:27 which states

"You have heard that it was said "You shall not commit adultery.' But I tell you than anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart."

This verse points to the idea that Christ's standards are so much higher up than earthly standards. That sins do not only exist when the act is performed but that God seeks even that our thoughts would be pure.

Ephesians 4:22 says "You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be made new in the attitude of your minds.."

The heart is powerful and valuable. Proverbs 4:23 commands us to "Above all things, guard your heart, because it is the well spring of life."

And what comes out of our hearts is our thoughts- which form our actions- which form our habits- which form our lives. So our thoughts are extremely important to who we are as individuals, because they determine who we are.

Proverbs 23:7 "As a man thinketh in his heart so is he.."
And 2 Corinthians 10:5 commands us to take every thought captive to Christ
So that our thoughts would be on noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable things. (Philippians 4:8)

Talking about sexual immorality and lust, if we truly get to the heart of the issue, instead of discussing sex and pornography and what is appropriate before and after marriage and boundaries. The real heart of the issue lies in desire, in longing.
The longing for love and acceptance.
God creating with a desire for fellowship, for uniting with a person heart and soul, to be one with them as Christ wants to be one with His church.

The first Ten Commandment states that You shall have no other Gods before me.
And yet Satan the ruler of our fallen world, is the Father of counterfeits and lies.
He knows that God created our hearts with a deep need for love.
So often he teaches us to exchange our desires for Him: for love, fulfillment, purpose, joy in exchange for sex, instant gratification, temporary belonging, pleasure.

Satan wants us to look for fulfillment and meaning and purpose and joy and satisfaction in anything but Christ. He tempts us with work, with money, with food, hobbies, drugs, and with relationships.

If He can get us to focus on earthly things, maybe He can distract us from spending time with Him.
If He could convince us that we wanted something on this earth, maybe a relationship with someone, more than a relationship with Him.. then He would win in teaching us to serve idols- without even realizing that we were serving two gods.

Friends, we are living in such a corrupt world. There is so much darkness around us and it is difficult sometimes to see examples of true authentic and pure spiritual living. And if we look to the right and the left and ask our brothers and sisters what our principles are instead of looking to God, we may fall into lies.

Enter Matthew 7:13 where the Bible commands us to
"Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it."

Sexual immorality and lust are sins. No doubt. But also wanting anything in our heart, more than Christ is a sin. Choosing to grumble, and be unsatisfied with the blessings God has given us is a temptation from the Devil.

Anything we run to before we run to God is a sin.

Friends, we can't put our value in things of this earth. I can't put my value in things of this earth, in what people say, what people think, in relationships, in my work, in my possessions, in the things I want. For these things will so quickly fade, they will so quickly deceive my heart.

But we have a Father in heaven who yearns for us.

We have a Father who is constantly knocking on the doors of our hearts. Who knows everything about us and chooses to love us anyways with a love no one on this earth can comprehend or replicate. Friends, we have a Heavenly Father who is full of grace and forgiveness. And He's calling us up higher- to a higher standard than where we have been.

And I don't know about you- but I want to follow Christ's call upward. I want to know of the higher standard.

I want to know what it means to be so fulfilled by His love for me that my desires for everything on this earth fade away so dim. I want to know how to be so in love with Him, that nothing on this earth really matters so much. I want to know His love for me. And I want to know how to walk in His standards of purity- not mine- not this worlds' - not anything I've been taught from a book. I want to know of Christ's standards of purity, and of His grace, and love that fulfills everything our hearts desire.

Because when I know the love of Christ, the fulfillment that He brings to my heart, then the lust of my heart is no longer even an issue. Because I am so fulfilled by Jesus that I don't want anything more.