Day 99

Love Versus Lust

"For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world" 1 John 2:16

There is a nightclub in our city that has a huge sign in front.  All it says is "Lust".  I guess that is calling it what it is, right?  The first time I saw it it was seared into my mind as I thought about the contrast of the word Lust versus Love that we learn about in God's Word.  Lust is of the world, not of Father.  We are to be separated from the world.

 Lust means, a very strong sexual desire.  It is clearly nothing but a physical desire.  In our key passage John uses the term as being the desire for evil.  It is interesting that most of the clubs are very dark inside because evil loves the darkness.  Satan, who loves the darkness, uses the eyes to incite evil desires in man.  

It can start out as a glance, become a habit but becomes a full blown addiction whether on the internet where the person believes they are safe to explore without anyone knowing, or while watching R Rated or X Rated movies or looking at magazines which incite a person by visual images.

Love on the other hand is a commitment, a choice, and it is denying yourself and your desires to put the other person first.  The love chapter is in 1 Corinthians 13 which list what love is and what it is not. Love is more about giving to the one you love than what you can get from the other person.  It is loving unconditionally like Jesus does us.  He loved us so much He sent His Son to die for us.  It is about forgiving.  The greatest gift we can give to another is love.  We can speak eloquently and with much wisdom but if we don't have love we are like an irritant.  We must have love.

Take a look at the Corinthians chapter on love and write down the characteristics of true love.  Take a look at your current relationships and consider which category they might fall into; love or lust.  After reviewing the list decide which you would rather have.

Love suffers long; is kind; it does not envy; it does not parade itself; is not rude or puffed up; does not rejoice in sin; to name a few.  Love NEVER fails you; lust just wants more and more of you then throws you to the side till it needs you to fulfill it's evil desires or fulfill it's own pleasure again.  

God is love.....that's Who He is.  We cannot know true love until we recognize His love for us.  He doesn't tell us He loves us for His own purposes but He demonstrated it when He took our place on the cross taking our sins on Himself. The empty void in our soul cannot be filled until it is filled with Him.  He is enough.  

When we expect someone else to fill that void in our hearts we will be disappointed every time.  It is really not right to expect a human person to fill us up because they can't.  When you learn that God is enough you have learned a truth that will be the only thing that sustains you in life.  It may be hard if you did not have love as a child or an example of love, but choose to accept God's love for you right now.  He says He loves you and He does not lie.