The daily Luther
20th May
But I say unto you, That whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart.
Matthew 5 (xxviii)
If chastity had been God's only command, we would all have had our hands full in obeying this one. This is because lust is such a dangerous, tempestuous vice. For its rage burns in all your limbs and in the thoughts issuing from your hearts. It can be deafening in your ears. It affects your mouths with your words, and your hands, feet and your whole body with your deeds. All the saints have complained about this vice in tears (...) More than anything else, prayer and God's Word provide the best defence. Wherever this evil inclination raises its ugly head, the human being needs to take flight in prayer and beseech God's grace and aid. He needs to meditate on the Gospel and contemplate Christ's suffering in the Gospel accounts.
The complete Luther - "A Meditation for Each Day of the Year" is available as a biligual (English and German) BREVIARY published by Wartburg Verlag Weimar. It can be purchased in English, world-wide from most internet book shops.