A pen is designed to write. A book to be read. A violin to play music. A pen can also punch a hole in a watermelon. A book can work as a decent footstool. And in a pinch, a violin would make fine kindling. Likewise, eyes can lust. But they’re not designed to. If you struggle with lust, you need to know this. Your eyes aren’t the problem. Christ came to condemn sin in your eyes, not to condemn...
Unfit for Man
How often do you see men depicted in contemporary media who successfully resist when tempted sexually? Examples are rare, but I’ll bet most of us can think of at least a few. Now what about depictions of men turning away from an opportunity to lust? Examples are nearly non-existent. The man always turns to see what he’s not invited to, to steal a glance, to take a peek, even to let his eyes...
Necessary Nakedness
One of our greatest and deepest human needs is to be naked. We were not created to hide ourselves, whether behind clothes, possessions, achievements, or titles. Nor were we made to hide behind silence, small talk, anger, a smile, or busyness. We were made to be naked and unashamed, yet in this fallen world, we also know instinctively we need to be clothed, to be covered somehow. We’re not in Eden...
Pure What?
Before I came to Regeneration, my accountability partners and I regularly talked about pursuing purity. Interestingly, though, none of us ever asked what exactly we meant. What I was after was a complete absence of sexual sin. That was my definition of purity. I’d say something very different today. (As a matter of fact, I’m about to.) Purity is not primarily about an absence of something sinful...
Body Required
Love is not true love apart from the body. This doesn’t align with the Western way we talk about love. For us, we can view our bodies as an optional part of love. As though the sentiment or the idea of love is adequate. Not so with Jesus. True love requires that our bodies be involved, that we get up out of our armchairs and be about the business of actively loving, as a verb. When my kids want...
Mockery
They seemed to sense insecurity like wolves drawn to blood.
