The Bad Thing About Lust

            Actually, there are probably a lot of bad things about lust. But the following, according to one practical book, is one:

            Lust treats people like football players treat a football in a ball game. How does a running back treat a football?            

            He cradles it; he cuddles it; he risks life and limb to take that ball to the goal line. But once that football crosses the goal line and he scores a touchdown, what does he do? He will spike it. He'll pound it to the ground; he'll dance around proclaim his conquest. Finally, when the game is over, he will ignore it.

            The purpose has been served. It has simply been an object to accomplish a goal. If you have been the object of someone's lust, you know how demeaning it feels.

            Make no mistake; it is the lust in the heart that drives one to dehumanize people. Maybe that is one reason Jesus said,  “You have heard the commandment that says, ‘You must not commit adultery.’ But I say, anyone who even looks at a woman with lust has already committed adultery with her in his heart (Mt. 5:27-28.) NLT

Source: THE 7 SINS OF HIGHLY DEFECTIVE PEOPLE by Rick Ezell

The Switchyard and Purity

            There was a large railroad switchyard in St. Louis, Missouri. One switch, which commenced with a slender piece of steel, headed a train from one main track onto another.

            The first track, if followed, would have taken the train to New York City. The other track took the train to San Francisco.           

            The thoughts we choose are like that. The choice we make concerning potential thoughts may seem insignificant (like a slender piece of steel seems insignificant). However, one “train of thought” could lead us to purity; another could lead us down the track of impurity.

            Carefully guard your thoughts 
because they are the source of true life (Prov. 4:23.) CEV

Source: THE 7 SINS OF HIGHLY DEFECTIVE PEOPLE by Rick Ezell

The Window

            One of the Seven Deadly Sins is lust. A friend emailed me the following story the other day, which I think illustrates some of the negative side effects of lust:

            A young couple moves into a new neighborhood. The next morning, while she and her husband are eating breakfast, the young woman observes her neighbor hanging the wash outside on a clothesline.

            “That laundry is not very clean,” she said. 
”She doesn't know how to wash correctly. Perhaps she needs better laundry soap.”



            Her husband looked on, but remained silent. Every day when her neighbor would hang her wash to dry, the young woman would make the same comments. 



            One month later, the wife was surprised to see the wash that hung on the line nice and clean. She said to her husband, “Look, she has learned how to wash correctly. I wonder who taught her.”

            
The husband said, “I got up early this morning and cleaned our windows.”



            So it is with life. What we see when watching others depends on the purity of the window through which we look! 



            I would add that when one views the world through lustful eyes, he will see impurity in a lot of places where it is not present. The problem is the lens of his eyes are unclean.