From Pastor John Collins:
"You have that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’ But I say to you that whoever looks at a woman to lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart.” Matthew 5:27-28 (NKJV).
Jesus gave us an interpretation of the law that is imperative that we understand. Prior to Him speaking about these things, it was the focus of the law to look at the actions of a person. Do not kill, steal, lie, or commit adultery and so on. Yet, with the words of our Lord, we learned that it is in our hearts that the sin begins. Before we will commit adultery we will lust, before we murder we usually hate. That is why Jesus said that what comes out of a man is what defiles a man.
Although we may feel that we understand this and we may even have given some thought to this, how often are we monitoring our emotions that will lead us to sin? We are filled with the propensity to be selfish and evil beings. That is a fact. We have to make the effort to allow Jesus to help us overcome ourselves. The most basic negative emotions, if left unchecked, will be the downfall of our souls.
We get depressed, angry, sad, resentful, bitter, and are full of fears and frustrations that may seem overwhelming to us. We must be diligent in our relationship with Jesus so that we allow Him to manage the purifying of our hearts for us. With His love leading us we are able to let go of the negative seeds in our hearts and to plant the positive and water them well. That is what being the branch to His vine is. That is where we will bear much fruit.
Do not let negativity rob you of the joy of Jesus. Do not allow bad emotions to build inside of you until they consume you. Pay attention to not only your actions, but to your feelings. That is where it begins.
“If your right eye causes you to sin, pluck it out and cast it from you; for it is more profitable for you that one of your members perish, than for your whole body to be cast into hell.” Matthew 5:29 (NKJV).
