Day 47: Continuum of Lust pt. 2 - Where should we draw the line? (woe/START)

My son is currently in college and runs cross country for his school. If you remember, I told you that I do a bit of running as well. However, we run in two very different ways. We both participated in a local 5k last year. He finished the entire race in about the same time that I finished my first mile. Ah age . . . It gets us all . . . As does a lack of fitness.


A couple months ago we attended an indoor track meet. He ran a 5k at this meet and as such, had to take like 25 laps around this track! Of course they had helpers counting laps but it was still a lot to keep up with. Unfortunately, after he thought he had finished the race he learned he had one lap to go. Between that and a stumble around one of the turns, he did not get the time he was hoping for.


But his time was far better than I could have done.


However, we’ve learned over the years he does not want to hear ‘You did so much better than I would have’ or ‘I couldn’t have done that’. The reason why is because his goal wasn’t to do ‘better than I would have’.


His goal was based off the standard he had for himself.


And that’s how it should be.

 


The standard we must have is based on God’s design, not how well we do in comparison to someone else or what culture says. And too often, cultural standards for sex is what we use to judge ourselves.


Culture puts sex on a continuum with some things ‘worse’ than others. If we adhere to this standard, we’ll find ourselves trying to avoid pornography but very much okay with looking up sexualized images on social media.


Here’s the visual: 

Too often, we fool ourselves into drawing a line somewhere on this continuum and think that if we just stay to the left of that line, we’re okay. And often that line changes with the day.


When we’re really on fire for God we draw it far to the left!


But when we feel God is distant or we’re stressed or overwhelmed or not had sex with our wife in a while or are not married yet or  . . . . Fill in the blank . . . We move the line to the right. We twist the standard we set for ourselves based on how our feelings, thoughts, and emotions.

 


So where do we draw the line?

 


If we are going to be men after God’s Abundant Life, and demanding more from ourselves than what our fallen world does, we must start by using God’s standard in ALL areas of our life.


That means we draw no lines on this continuum but instead set the standard that we are completely OFF the continuum.

 

That’s God’s standard.

That needs to be our standard.

That needs to be what we expect from ourselves.

 


Thoughts to Journal/Pray:

  1. What line has cultural drawn on this continuum?
  2. What can you as a Christian man do about this?
  3. How have you adopted a false line on this continuum in the past & how can you change that standard moving forward?

 


Reading:

1 Thessalonians 4:1-8