a 365 day trip through Matthew with a key thought, prayer, focus verse and contextual verses for each day
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“You shall not commit adultery. ... You shall not covet your neighbor's wife."
Exodus 20:14,17
They will be paid back with harm for the harm they have done. Their idea of pleasure is to carouse in broad daylight. They are blots and blemishes, reveling in their pleasures while they feast with you. 14 With eyes full of adultery, they never stop sinning; they seduce the unstable; they are experts in greed—an accursed brood!
2 Peter 2:13-14
Marriage should be honored by all, and the marriage bed kept pure, for God will judge the adulterer and all the sexually immoral.
Hebrews 13:4 |
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February 24
Adultery! - Matthew 5:27-28
“You have heard that it was said, ‘You must not be guilty of adultery.’ But I tell you that if anyone looks at a woman and wants to sin sexually with her, in his mind he has already done that sin with the woman."
Full Text
Key Thought
In an era where adultery is considered acceptable, or at least something to be ignored, Jesus' standard of an inner-driven righteousness that transcends the call of the Law to be sexually pure seems extreme. But adultery in practice begins with adultery in the heart.
More than just a look, lust is a look to have and possess. That kind of lust has already moved the heart into action to betray a holy covenant between God, a husband, and a wife. This betrayal is wrong. We must not hide behind righteous exteriors when our interior world is rotting with evil. We must deal with this lust or it will consume us.
Today's Prayer
O Lord God Almighty, create in me a clean heart. I want to be more like you in my character: pure, resisting things that are evil, and faithful, honoring my commitment to you and to others. Please forgive me in my times of weakness and mold me into your holy servant to be used for your glory. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.
Today's Verses with Jesus
(key verses in bold)
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27 “You have heard that it was
said, ‘You must not be guilty of adultery.’ 28 But I
tell you that if anyone looks at a woman and wants to sin sexually
with her, in his mind he has already done that sin with the woman.
29 If your right eye causes you to sin, take it out and throw
it away. It is better to lose one part of your body than to have
your whole body thrown into hell. 30 If your right hand causes
you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. It is better to lose
one part of your body than for your whole body to go into hell.
31 “It was also said, ‘Anyone who divorces his wife
must give her a written divorce paper.’ 32 But I tell you
that anyone who divorces his wife forces her to be guilty of
adultery. The only reason for a man to divorce his wife is if
she has sexual relations with another man. And anyone who
marries that divorced woman is guilty of adultery.
“You have heard that it was said to our people long ago, ‘Don’t
break your promises, but keep the promises you make to the Lord.’
34 But I tell you, never swear an oath. Don’t swear an oath
using the name of heaven, because heaven is God’s throne.
35 Don’t swear an oath using the name of the earth,
because the earth belongs to God. Don’t swear an oath using
the name of Jerusalem, because that is the city of the great
King. 36 Don’t even swear by your own head, because you
cannot make one hair on your head become white or black. 37 Say
only yes if you mean yes, and no if you mean no. If you say more
than yes or no, it is from the Evil One.
(NCV) The New Century Version, (Dallas, Texas:
Word Publishing) 1987, 1988, 1991.
Used by permission.
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