August 27 - no harm in looking. . right?

August 27 - no harm in looking. . right? 

Stop me if you have ever heard this one before. . .”There is no harm in looking.” 

Maybe it’s something you’ve said as you were walking the streets of Chicago at Christmas time, as you went from storefront to storefront. You weren’t trying to spend any money. You just wanted to look . .  How did that go for you? 

Probably, you either walked away with something - after saying you were just going to look. . . OR, if you are proudly nodding you head right now because you can say you walked away without buying anything, I bet you at least raised the level of expectation for your future. “One day I will own one of those. .  “ 

Or maybe shopping isn’t your thing, what about this - We aren’t going to purchase a new car. We can’t really afford that right now, but, “There is no harm in looking.” 

Did you know that car sale men love that attitude! 

Because they can always find a way to “get you into that car of your dreams.” 

It might cost you an arm and a let, and it might set you back years in your financial planning, but again, there is no harm in looking. 

Or, take it to the next level. . . 

As a kid I was told not to eat the cookie dough when my mom was making cookies. But then she would leave the room. . . I thought to myself, “I won’t eat any, but there is no harm in looking. . .right?” I mean, I just want to see that the dough looks right. . . 

That never worked for me! 

I would always eat the cookie dough, even when I just intended to look. . .

Ah, but let me take it to the darkest one. .

I know I’m married. But I’m just looking. What harm is there in that? 

Jesus had plenty to say about this. See, again, he knows the condition of the heart. When it is unchecked, it leads us down roads we never thought we were even entertaining. See, the heart is a strong muscle that is always in motion. When we let it roam, it will lead us to places that will hurt us - even destroy us. 

So Jesus continued his sermon on the mount with these words. . . 

You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’ But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart. If your right eye causes you to stumble, gouge it out and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than fore your whole body to be thrown into hell. And if your right hand causes you to stumble, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to go into hell. 

Jesus is making this point more severe. If you look, it is your heart leading you somewhere you never should have gone. It will cause your whole body to be thrown into hell. Jesus says that whatever is the part that is causing you to stumble, cut it off and throw it away. 

The practice of this might mean not going to the city in the Christmas season, because it will cause you to want things that you know aren’t cost effective. It may mean just being satisfied with your car, and ignoring the shiny new one that your neighbor just got. Stay away from the cookie dough. Keep clear of the person that isn’t your spouse. Because in all of these things, if you entertain the desire to have something that you know isn’t good for you, eventually you will give into it! 

So cut off the appetite! 

What is it that you have entertained that is causing you to be drawn in a direction unhealthy for you? 

If you want to come out on the other side saying you controlled it - instead of it controlling you, STAY AWAY! Do not even entertain it! Run the other direction! 

If you start doing this, I promise you will understand what you believe, and why you believe it to be true! 

Until tomorrow, I love you, and as you learn to control your appetite, May God bless you!