Manhood is Never X-Rated

According to John Eldredge, author of Wild at Heart, every man is searching for a beautiful woman. And whether married or not, many never give up the search. Why? Because men are not looking for romance, sex or a life-long partner. What we really want is validation or acceptance of our manhood.

And yet pornography only short-circuits that process. We may feel accepted and manly, but only for a moment. And like any addiction, the risks could be catastrophic to our health and families. That's why King Solomon gave this dire warning in Proverbs, chapter 6 - "Do not lust in your heart after her beauty or let her captivate you with her eyes, for the prostitute reduces you to a loaf of bread, and the adulteress preys upon your very life."

Short-term vs. Long Term

People today have little regard for the past or future - all they care about is the here and now. Far too many smoke with little consideration about long-term consequences. Fast food industries blossom despite an epidemic of obesity and related illness. Wall Street is priority over every other concern.

Thankfully, the Lord doesn't share our short-term approach to life; he always takes the long view. We may worry about passing minutes, but God's work involves generations. And while fads and fashions rapidly change around us, we can count on the Lord's consistency and faithfulness. Psalm 102 puts it this way: "In the beginning you laid the foundations of the earth, and the heavens are the work of your hand. They will perish, but you remain."

Spiritual Sequels

I don't know about you, but movie sequels are not my favorite. Sure, there's an interest in revisiting a good adventure and reuniting with fun characters, but more often than not I'm disappointed by a rerun of the same old story.

Thankfully, the Lord doesn't give us sequels in our spiritual lives. Sometimes we can't help ourselves - we constantly revisit our sins and doubt that God can ever really forgive us for our past lives. But the Lord gives us this great promise in 2 Corinthians 5:17 - "If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!"

We don't need to dwell in our doubts and sinful sequels - God's got something brand new and exciting for us yet to come!