The 5/19 verse of the day is from Gal 5:19, "When you follow the desires of your sinful nature, the results are very clear: sexual immorality, impurity, lustful pleasures," (NLT)
I've gotta tell you, there are some heavy subjects in many of the 5th chapters in the books of the bible. I had a hard time even picking which verse to elaborate on today, because there are so many impactful verses to choose from. I tend to bring out this controversial stuff, though, because sin is so widely accepted in today's culture and the world is just upside down in the way it views things. What God warns us not to do, for our own good, is exactly what our culture likes to do, and wants everyone else to accept as right behavior. I'm sorry, but God didn't give me a political correctness gene. Even if God's word seems old-fashioned and no longer culturally relevant to the majority of the world, I'm still thankful to be in the minority that takes Him and His word as truth that is to be believed and practiced. That is the reason I talk about it. Too often, people just don't talk about these things for fear of offending someone. I have to wonder if that is why the world, even the church, is in the shape it is in today.
The Message translation says this about Gal 5:19-21, "It is obvious what kind of life develops out of trying to get your own way all the time: repetitive, loveless, cheap sex; a stinking accumulation of mental and emotional garbage; frenzied and joyless grabs for happiness; trinket gods; magic-show religion; paranoid loneliness; cutthroat competition; all-consuming-yet-never-satisfied wants; a brutal temper; an impotence to love or be loved; divided homes and divided lives; small-minded and lopsided pursuits; the vicious habit of depersonalizing everyone into a rival; uncontrolled and uncontrollable addictions; ugly parodies of community. I could go on. This isn't the first time I have warned you, you know. If you use your freedom this way, you will not inherit God's kingdom."
That's pretty graphic. Unfortunately, it's happening in our own neighborhoods; even in our own homes. The good news is that grace covers a multitude of sins. Grace, however, does not give us a license to behave any way our sinful nature desires. Every day, my behavior falls short of God's perfect will for me, but as I seek His truth, I find that my heart becomes more filled with Him and that leaves less room for my sinful desires. Some say that our hearts can lead us astray. Maybe they can, but may I suggest to you, that a heart that is filled with the love of God and His Spirit, isn't as easily led by a sinful nature. Especially if it is guarded by truth. We can satisfy our sinful natures or please the heart of God by becoming more like Him. We have to live life on purpose. The choices are ours to make. We should all weigh truth against our behavior and choose wisely. There's a great inheritance at stake.
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