Good morning ALL! I hope you're doing well. I pray for our group often! Thanks for doing these devotions! Don't limit the power of God's word. Keep it close to your heart.
Leviticus chapter 18.
In this chapter, God gives clear instructions on sexual relationships thus defining some clear boundaries to stay within. About 15 examples were given of what is not permitted when dealing with sexual relationships. Some of these listed are obvious NO NO's! It seems clear why it is a perversion. It doesn't make sense how anyone could do any of these. What's crazy is Satan is so subtle and he's not in a hurry to contaminate or deceive a nation or the church. He takes these perversions and gradually overwhelms cultures with their perversions to the point where they're no longer seen as sin but as a natural and viable option for a way of living. He's so slick, that even the church has compromised God's truth for the cultures truth. Just as we see one of the perversions being acceptable we think “Well, certainly, our culture will never think it is ok for people to have sex with an animal or sex with a little child.” But in fact, Satan has deceived many so that some make money off of having sex with animals and promote it. Sex with a child, called a pedophiler, I thought could never become an acceptable behavior amongst our culture. But Hollywood is pushing it, and other forms of media are pushing it as an acceptable behavior. I am confident that it is only in due time that we will see this no longer as a crime. My point is this, there is no sin under the sun that Satan can't manipulate or deceive us into thinking is okay. Therefore we must be careful about how we condemn others because we too are susceptible into committing a sin.
Galatians 6:1 says, “Brothers and sisters, if someone is caught in a sin, you who live by the Spirit should restore that person gently. But watch yourselves, or you also may be tempted.”
For example, I don't struggle with pornography. But I know people who do. Because I don't struggle with it does not give me the privilege of condemning those who do struggle with it. Instead, my approach must be a loving approach where I come alongside them and encourage them and help them.
We can't let pride come in like with the Pharisees or we end up saying thank you God that I'm not like this sinner who did this terrible thing. Pride kills people. It doesn't help them get better or become overcomers. Instead we need humility where we say God help me encourage this person because who's to say that I too will not end up failing in the same area or in another area that displeases you, Lord? I could brag about not being into porn or not doing other sins but the truth is my thought life is nothing to brag about. And if my thought life is not daily surrendered to the Lord, it could easily result into actions that end up hurting me and other people.
So I say:
- Watch pride.
- Don't condemn others but instead encourage them and come alongside and help them.
- Stay humble lest we also fall and are left stranded on the side, condemned versus encouraged.
I jumped over to read Romans 1:18-32 after reading Leviticus 18 today. The people were warned to never practice any of these abominable customs and yet it’s so sad to see that there are so many who claim to be wise, but have actually become fools. As I wonder how this could possibly happen that people would do things like what we read about, I think about how so many have been deceived just like Eve was back in the garden of Eden. Here’s Romans 1:24-25: Therefore God gave them up in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, to the dishonoring of their bodies among themselves, because they exchanged the truth about God for a lie and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever! Amen.
Amen, Pastor Blair! We can do so much harm when we miss the 3 points you mention at the end of your comments. We are to show His love – He didn’t put us here to judge.
This is chapter is one that I have to admit I struggle with and I am going to be transparent… out of the 15 boundaries given, we of course see homosexuality as one of the sexual sins to avoid. It is a boundary we mustn’t cross
22 “Do not have sexual relations with a man as one does with a woman; that is detestable.”
Yet in our society today homosexuality is more and more common and laws are changing to make society more and more acceptable.
I am happily married to my husband, and we have a son together. I can’t imagine what it must be like to have feelings for and be attracted to someone and have it be considered a sin. Sometimes in my heart I feel like love really is love and why would someone choose to be homosexual? I know people in homosexual relationships who love God and love Jesus and have strong faith. I see heterosexual couples that are atheist and abusive. I just really struggle with this sometimes and I agree that we cannot condemn anyone. God only knows in the end, our final judge and we must face Him at the end of our lives.