Article

Don’t Even Think About It

By Pastor Eric Everhart

“You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery. But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart.”  Matthew 5:27-28

Do you remember the first thing you thought about this morning as you yawned real big and rubbed the sleep out of your eyes? What were your very first thoughts?  If you’re anything like me…I honestly couldn’t tell you. 

Let me share something with you today. When we think about someone who is sinning, we automatically associate that with something they did–an action, right? For example: they lied, they gossiped, they took something that wasn’t theirs, or maybe they used the Lord’s name in vain. Have you ever stopped to think that our biggest sins are not always the ones we act out but are the ones that are in our hearts and thoughts?

Stay with me for a second…sin is rooted in where our hearts are and where our minds are as well. Every single action we perform and every word we speak is prompted by a thought in our mind and what is stirring in our hearts. Remember that the Pharisees tried to live strictly to the written law that God had given us–in other words to physically not steal, not speak a lie, or not murder. In Matthew 5, Jesus begins to explain to the people that it’s not just our actions that are sinful but also the thoughts we think and the position of our hearts.  Jesus is saying that it isn’t good enough that you don’t physically kill someone but rather that even if you hate your brother in your heart or think badly of someone…you have committed murder.  Jesus is saying, “Don’t even think about it!”

What thoughts have you had today that need forgiveness? Or maybe you should ask where your heart is today…have you lusted, judged someone, thought badly of someone, or maybe even lied in your heart? Ask God to forgive you and ask him to help you, through the work of the Holy Spirit, to change your heart. 

Something to ponder……..”Watch your thoughts, for they become words. Watch your words, for they become actions. Watch your actions, for they become habits. Watch your habits, for they become character. Watch your character, for it becomes your destiny.”

Recent Updates

What Was Lost Is Now Found

What Was Lost Is Now Found

What Was Lost Is Now FoundBy Pastor E This past week I stopped in town to pick up my suit from the laundry. I was getting things ready to officiate a wedding for a former student and his soon to be wife–always an exciting privilege for me. I was in sort of a hurry as...

Get Over It?

Get Over It?

Get Over It?By Pastor E This is what grief is. A hole ripped through the very fabric of your being. The hole eventually heals along the jagged edges that remain. It may even shrink in size. But that hole will always be there. A piece of you is always missing. For...

Five Year Review

A REFLECTION ON FIVE YEARSBy Pastor Dan Dear Friendship Family, This month marks five years since the Lord called me to Friendship, and I began ministering here with you. As I’ve thought about this anniversary the last few weeks, I felt the Spirit nudging me to write...

OUR MISSION: As Christ-followers we are committed to cultivating, sharing, and celebrating the love of God with people everywhere.

X