So do I become the world's first eye donor?

2011-02-27T22:52:00.000-08:00

I was at Borders the other night looking for some books when I found myself in the periodicals looking for the new issue of Top Gear (a UK auto magazine). As I was browsing I seemingly by instinct, slowed down when I noticed the covers of every non-sports, non-auto magazine on the shelf. My eyes slowed their searching because each of those magazines (not exaggerating) had a half or mostly nude woman on the cover. Being a "red-blooded American guy" I was not offended by this sight. It was far too easy for me to stare at and secretly enjoy those images.

Matthew 5:29 (The Message)

"Let's not pretend this is easier than it really is. If you want to live a morally pure life, here's what you have to do: You have to blind your right eye the moment you catch it in a lustful leer. You have to choose to live one-eyed or else be dumped on a moral trash pile."

Here's the truth of the matter. We have been set free from this "instinct" that makes us feel like we have to visually absorb every image of female skin that is presented for our enjoyment. Thankfully, we are not required to mutilate ourselves because of lust, but Jesus' message is clear that it would be better to be mutilated than to continue to be a slave to lust and miss the better, more fulfilling life that God has called us to live.

I have a very hard time living up to the standard of Jesus on this one. I enjoy those images. As one (of many I know) who has struggled with pornography addiction in the past, we are constantly bombarded by businesses selling us some sexualized image to push a product, service, or way of life. I have to literally look the opposite way when I go to a mall now to keep from staring at the window of Victoria's Secret while I walk along with my wife and sons.

I like those images because they promise sexual fulfillment with none of the responsibility that comes with sex. There is no covenant relationship required with a picture. There is no listening and empathizing required with a picture. There are no children produced from looking at a picture. We simply get the momentary high that comes from seeing a naked woman whose eyes and pose tell me that she wants me more than anything else in the world regardless of what I think, feel, or believe.

Yet, the reality of the Kingdom is that we are not slaves to those sexual images! Jesus death and resurrection set us free from looking at those pictures in a primal, lustful way to get some sort of momentary fix or fulfillment.

Not only have you been set free from slavery to those thoughts and images men, but those women have been set free as well. Those precious daughters of Almighty God have been set free from that lifestyle. Even the "supermodels" who only pose for tasteful, socially acceptable publications have been set free. All they have to do is accept the truth that they are beautiful because of what God can do through them rather than what a photo shoot makes them appear to be.

I'll say this again men. You have been set free from the slavery of lust!!! Praise Jesus for his obedience to God's plan to die on the cross so you would no longer be a slave to lust! You can live your life to the higher standard of Jesus by understanding that a daughter of God is in that picture, not a nameless, emotionless person who exists to provide you with an empty, momentary pleasure (that you have to finish yourself to be blunt). Praise God for the higher standard that exists for us to live up to so that we do not have to constantly hunt for our next lust fix. We are free from the bondage of lust and can pour ourselves fully into a purpose that is greater than ourselves.

God, please show us what your purpose is for our lives! Help us to live up to your higher standards and get away from our old mindset of obeying a list of rules. Help us see that by fully accepting your salvation and the responsibility that comes with it, we will naturally want to live better. Thank you Jesus for your obedience to the plan of salvation and dying for us so that we can be set free from lust. Help us to glorify you in the way we view, interact with, and think about your daughters.

Called to a higher standard

2011-02-24T20:16:00.000-08:00

Welcome to A Higher Standard. My goal is to understand what it means for a man to live according to the higher standard that Jesus Christ calls us to. I plan to confess my sins and shortcomings here and talk about what redemption is found through the confession and repentance from that sin. More than that, I want to rejoice in the freedom found through living to the high standards that Jesus' followers are called to.

I decided to start this exercise after I had a significant "come to Jesus" moment yesterday. I realized that I had been causing a lot of instability in my household because of my poor financial choices. The larger issue was that I was selfish and feeling entitled to my immediate wants and desires and didn't take the greater needs of my family into account. While the scope of my behavior was pretty small, the implications were large.

All men should be in community with other people so they can be held accountable to live according to the higher standard and I wrote a message to my community explaining that I had been acting selfishly, and that I realized how destructive my selfishness and feelings of entitlement were. They responded by offering their support and asked how they could help hold me to Jesus’ higher standard. I say this not to explain how I am now going to be perfect, but merely to explain just how blind I was to my selfishness and how awesome the body of Jesus - that is to say the church, can be when we are subject to the leadership of Christ. I have repented of my overspending and overeating and want to glorify God and model myself after Jesus’ obedience by living to the higher standard of the Kingdom of Heaven.

So what do I mean by being held to a higher standard? I was raised in an evangelical church that battled with legalism and judgment. As such, I believed for most of my life that once I was baptised I had to keep to a certain list of rules in order to maintain my salvation and thus, my place in heaven.

This couldn’t be further from the truth and thankfully, God has revealed what it means to be a part of his Kingdom. The higher standard the followers of Christ are held to is not some list of rules. The higher standard is to live in such a way that God will be glorified, and Jesus uplifted by the way I live my life because I am an ambassador for God’s Kingdom. To say this another way, if I am living to glorify God and lift up Jesus, I don’t need a list of rules because I will want to act in the ways that I should, I will think on the things that I should because I understand that I am a part of the Kingdom of God and as such, I will not cheapen myself or the holiness of God by acting in such a way that he would be ashamed of me or make others reject His Kingdom.

This is what I want to leave you with today. Almighty God loves you and doesn’t care about a list of rules. He wants to be in a covenant relationship with you so much that He has already performed His responsibilities of the covenant as an act of good faith by allowing Jesus to die in your place, and through His resurrection, call you to a greater life! Please be courageous enough to lay down your selfishness and I ask you to hold me accountable as well so that we can glorify God by living to the higher standard we have been called to.

The Highest Standard

So do I become the world's first eye donor?

Called to a higher standard