Right now, though, I would like to cover the opposite of the sin of lust by using a very familiar passage from Romans, and offer encouragement to myself and to all from these powerful words of the Apostle Paul (no, I did not intend for that to rhyme).
"Therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, I urge you to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God; this is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this age, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may discern what is the good, pleasing, and perfect will of God."
Romans 12:1-2, HCSB
First, let's look to the presentation aspect. A company I know has the slogan, "Eat right, don't smoke, and exercise daily... we can wait." This company is in my industry, and so there is humor in the idea of them advertising that people should live longer (I'm a licensed funeral director and embalmer, in case you didn't know that already). Presentation of yourself as a living sacrifice is similar to this, in that if we just give in to the "luxuria" (Latin for lust) desires of the flesh, we would envelop ourselves in foods and habits that are not good for us. Taking care of your body, both inside and out, is a form of worship, after all, because the body is the Temple, and Christ resides in you and me and every other Christian. Therefore, keep the "house" clean, as it were, and sacrifice what you must in order to do so. For me, that has been soda and junk food (both of which I love), and I have added in some physical exercise with my church softball team, as well as coaching a soccer team for my son. I want my presentation to be good, both inside and out.
Second, please don't stress over the word "holy" as it is listed here. I read a great book once that explained that we, as Christians, with Christ in us, are holy. He makes us so. Therefore, it is not a daunting and heavily burdening concept to be holy and present yourself as holy. Now, if you refuse to care for yourself and you decide to turn away from the holiness born into you through Christ, then I can see it being difficult... but you know, I was so sore after my first softball practice, which was followed by soccer practice, and it was hard to make the change from all sod and juice to just about nothing but water. Change is not always easy, but it is sometimes necessary. And besides, when you think of how hard it is to change something, perhaps you should think of what was endured on your behalf some 2,000 years ago, hmm? I'm pretty certain that wasn't an easy thing to go through, and I have been thinking on it since I began this study.
Third, and this is where we'll get to the sexual stuff, conforming to this age means that sexual impurity and adultery and the like are all things that are either accepted or excused, and that is just not okay. I can name only one couple out of literally thousands of people I have met that remained virgins until marriage, and I guarantee you, they don't have arguments about sexual impurity. A favorite sitcom of mine has a moment where one promiscuous character mentions that he has a list of people he has slept with, and another character responds, "so do I... it's called my marriage license." I wish I had been that strong. I wish I had been able to do that. Looking back, all I remember is wanting so badly to do adult things, and wanting to satisfy the desire of the flesh, and I didn't stop to think about what it may mean for my future.
I'll speak to the married couples first on that: it means that I have memories of things I have done, and they pop up every now and again. Those memories are no longer wanted, but for some reason, they surface from time to time. I change the topic in my mind quickly, and I move on from them, but I wish I didn't have them.
Now, to the unmarried folks: the memories that will be created through intimacy need to be as pure as the intimacy itself, and the only way I learned that was through the regret of not being able to achieve it. The only way this can be done, I have to assume, is through a single partner... your spouse! Virginity is a beautiful thing, and something to be cherished and prized above all things in life (except for the salvation you have through Christ), so hold on to your purity until you are married to your spouse, and share that amazing gift with them, and them only. Again, I wish I had.
Fourth, to the renewing of the mind, this only happens when you are in God's Word. I'll proclaim it from the mountaintops, and anyone on Earth is welcome to try and debate it, but the only way to remain refreshed mentally, and hang on to the important things of life and truth, is to remain in God's Word daily! Quiet times focus the mind, and they focus the heart, and that is where you can hear the Lord speak. It may not always be audible, and sometimes it might just be a feeling, but those moments drive home the power that flows from the Resurrection, and you really begin to have the ability to discern what you should and should not do.
This, of course, leads us to the will of God for you and your life. Chastity, which I haven't mentioned since the top, has to do with so many things, and most of what we think of is sexual purity or virginity. I want to expand that, though, to include remaining inside the will of God for my life, as opposed to what the world and the enemy would want me to do with my life. Being pure for your spouse in the future is important... remaining pure and seeking only God's will for your life is more important. Imagine all the things you've done that were outside that calling, and think about the hardships that came. God, in His grace and mercy, has (in my life, for certain) used those errors to teach lessons that clearly needed to be learned, but what if you just learned them through quiet time and prayer and remaining in the Father's will and care? What if you just read the Bible, did what it said, knowing that it is God's perfect Word, inspired by the Holy Spirit directly from the Father through those whom He chose to impart it to, and prayed and centered yourself to hear Him in all things? What if I had done that since childhood?
Of course, we cannot, because we are sinners, and we are all broken and imperfect in some way. But just for now, please think on your own chastity. As long as we are on this earth, we always have the opportunity to turn from the world, face the Father and accept the Son, and live by the power of the Spirit. His mercies are new each day, and we have the chance to make that difference in ourselves... and set the example for future generations to come!
God bless you all!!!
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