Matthew 5:27 Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not commit adultery: 28 But I say unto you, That whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart.

Proverbs 5:15 Drink waters out of thine own cistern, and running waters out of thine own well.

1 Peter 2:11 Dearly beloved, I beseech you as strangers and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts, which war against the soul;

I love the company of women. There is a gentleness and warmth in their presence I don't often find in other men. Some of them I count among my very best friends in all the world. The key word is "friends"; some men, and women as well, have difficulty drawing the line between friends and lovers. Even many of those who wouldn't dream of seducing a friend, though, see nothing wrong with having sex with an acquaintance or a perfect stranger. Our popular culture is saturated with the notion that casual sex, inside or outside marriage, is okay.

We want what we can't have; that's just as true now as it was in the Garden of Eden. No matter if our mate is the most attractive human being God ever created, our eyes wander toward the fruit on another tree. Adultery is relationship without commitment, sex without sanctity. It doesn't even have to result in an overt act, as Jesus made clear. What happens on the outside reflects what we've already decided on the inside.

No one would argue that what happened in the White House between our President and Monica Lewinsky was not adultery. The distressing thing, though, is that the majority of the American public didn't seem to care very much about the deed itself, only the attempts to cover it up. Our society has developed a hierarchy of right and wrong, which shifts depending on the popular mood. Adultery, it seems, is not nearly as bad as lying, which in turn ranks below stealing or murder. The Bible makes no such distinctions; anyone who breaks one law, to paraphrase James, is guilty of breaking them all (James 2:10-11).

It's not just that adultery is a sin that hurts others; Peter said that the kind of sexual desires that feed it war against our very souls. Solomon warned against it repeatedly in Proverbs (see especially Proverbs 5-7) as the path to hell and destruction. Just as running after false gods can destroy our relationship with God, so unfaithfulness to a spouse can destroy a marriage relationship. It can also destroy our lives. Most of us can remember what happened with Jimmy Swaggart and Jim Baker when they couldn't control their lust, but countless other lives are destroyed quietly, and out of the public eye. Like any other sin, if we don't seek reconciliation with God in Christ, adultery can damage our relationship with him as well.

It is no accident that spiritual unfaithfulness is also pictured as adultery in the Old Testament. Whenever we place our affections somewhere they don't belong, whether on another person or fame or power or wealth, we commit adultery. A god doesn't have to be an idol created out of stone, gold or wood; it may take any form. Anything that sits on the throne of our lives in place of Christ is an idol. When we give it love or affection due Christ, we commit adultery with it.

We must guard our thoughts and emotions, and be careful what comes in through our eyes and ears. David's eyes strayed where they shouldn't have, and adultery with Bathsheba and the murder of her husband were the results. If we look at filth on TV, the Internet, or in movies, we shouldn't be surprised of the kinds of thoughts that enter our minds. If we deliberately seek the company of someone we find sexually attractive, we shouldn't be surprised if adultery results. If we seek after wealth or power for their own sakes, we shouldn't be surprised if they take over the center of our lives.

A strong marriage relationship is the best safeguard against adultery. A strong relationship with Christ is the best safeguard against spiritual adultery. We can't maintain a strong marriage relationship unless we spend time with our mates; the same is true of our relationship with Christ. I've seen evidence of that in my own life repeatedly, yet there are still times when I neglect the fellowship of prayer and the Word. Nothing else we do matters as much as the time we spend with our Lord. If we can't work Jesus into our schedules every day, we need new schedules. If we're too busy for prayer, we're too busy. If our affections rest on someone or something else more than on Christ, our affections are in the wrong place.

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Beneath His Wings Devotionals - Vol. 2