The LORD said to Moses, Speak to the Israelites and say to them: ‘I am the LORD your God.
You must not do as they do in Egypt, where you used to live, and you must not do as they do in the land of Canaan, where I am bringing you. Do not follow their practices. You must obey my laws and be careful to follow my decrees. I am the LORD your God. Keep my decrees and laws, for the man who obeys them will live by them. I am the LORD. - Lev. 18:1-5 NIV
It is so hard to be holy. We drift from one extreme to the other, from total abstinence to total abandonment, neither of which was decreed by the Lord. All the while, we miss the point; God's commands are to give us life, not to take that life away. Why are we not to defile our family or our neighbors? Because to do so brings death, not necessarily physical death, although sometimes that is the result, but spiritual death. When we choose to follow our desires despite God's commands, the life giving, life sustaining, life enabling source in our soul dies. Is it any wonder we see so many people dependent on outside influences such as drugs, alcohol, gambling, pornography, etc., today? Their souls have died, and they will do anything to make themselves feel alive again, if only for a fleeting moment in time. God knew that his people would be surrounded by those with no hope, those who would use any means possible to fill up the god-sized vacuum in their lives.
On the other hand, we have such a life affirming gospel. We should not be afraid to share it with the world, for it is life.
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