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Matthew 5:28
But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman
lustfully has already committed adultery with
her in his heart.
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April 17
Obedience of the Heart
The heart is where our actions start. What
we do, good or bad, is a result of where our
heart is. Even if one were able to keep
performing sinful acts, the mind is sinful and
still thinks about them. Not carrying out
a sinful act may prevent someone else from
getting hurt but the damage is still done
internally.
Jesus uses the illustation of lust in this
passage but He says the same thing about murder
elsewhere. If we say something harmful to
another person, we are killing their character.
It doesn't matter from God's perspective that we
did no physical deed, we still intentionally
harmed someone.
Taming the heart is much more difficult to tame
than actions. Only with the help of the
Holy Spirit do we stand a chance at controlling
our heart and our mind. If we are able to
control these however, our actions will come
easily because they are a reflection of our
heart.
Some people can train their actions against
their will. They may be able to avoid
doing something or acting a particular way in
front of certain people but while alone their
true nature will come out. If nothing
else, we can't fool God into believing that we
are good just because we abstain from certain
actions. He knows our heart and it is the
heart that He will judge. |
