Well, now this can be a tough chapter for many of us! I like the scenario Robert gives at the beginning of the chapter, because it can apply to almost all of us in that when we look at the 10 Commandments, for example, we often tend to think that we do pretty good in those terms. That, however, is only when we look on the surface of the commandments and don't really get into what they really mean. I did an exercise with a group of teenagers once where we discovered that they (and I also) were guilty of breaking every single one of the commandments! If we look at what what is meant behind each one, we will realize that we don't have it all together on most of them - or any of them! There is no room for self-righteousness here! Even if we have nine of them that we have mastered but still have one area that falls into our 'darling sin' category, we are still guilty of breaking them all. That is difficult! One of the most poignant lines that stuck out to me was on page 27, was "Everyone knew the law said adultery was forbidden, but they only applied that in the physical world, not the spiritual, mental, and emotional." I find that we often try to excuse ourselves by saying that we aren't acting on it. Well that is only one part of it. I remember a happily married man telling me long ago, when an obviously attractive woman went by and he leered at her and commented, "It doesn't matter where you get your appetite, as long as you eat your dinner at home!" Well, it turns out it DOES matter! On page 32, Robert talks about the single guy who says, "when I get married, I will be so in love and ready for a wife that lust won't be an issue anymore," which he also points out is a great lie of Satan. I have found this to be so true in my life as I look on my past actions and how I lived before God got a hold of me. Even after I got married, it was still a struggle because that is the habit I had nurtured. It is much easier to form a habit than to break it!
Changing gears a little bit, on page 30, Robert states that "we spend so much time now on all the things we need to stop that we struggle to take the time to discuss what we should start." This is observantly saying that we are so often on the defensive that we don't have the time or energy to be on the offensive. Try winning a sporting event playing only defense and no offense! This is something that I have honestly never heard preached from the pulpits or at a men's breakfast! If we are on the offensive, we are not just trying to not think about other women lustfully, we are thinking about our own wives. Try thinking about your wife when you see an attractive woman who may make your thoughts wander a bit...it really does change things!
OK - I need to stop talking! What gripped you guys most about this chapter?
Changing gears a little bit, on page 30, Robert states that "we spend so much time now on all the things we need to stop that we struggle to take the time to discuss what we should start." This is observantly saying that we are so often on the defensive that we don't have the time or energy to be on the offensive. Try winning a sporting event playing only defense and no offense! This is something that I have honestly never heard preached from the pulpits or at a men's breakfast! If we are on the offensive, we are not just trying to not think about other women lustfully, we are thinking about our own wives. Try thinking about your wife when you see an attractive woman who may make your thoughts wander a bit...it really does change things!
OK - I need to stop talking! What gripped you guys most about this chapter?
RSS Feed