Virtue

Matthew 5:27 - 30
"You have heard that it was said, `Do not commit adultery.'
But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully
has already committed adultery with her in his heart.
If your right eye causes you to sin, gouge it out and throw it away.
It is better for you to lose one part of your body
than for your whole body to be thrown into hell.
And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away.
It is better for you to lose one part of your body
than for your whole body to go into hell."

Virtue refers to the quality or state of being morally sound. There exists within each of us certain conflicting desires seeking gratification that are in discord with our longing for stability and a clean conscience. Because of this internal struggle, situations arise in which we are seemingly without sufficient will to do what we know to be morally correct. The physical and worldly influences are just too tempting. Doing the right thing hinges on a personal dependence on God to supply the needed resources to overcome our selfish urges. It seems that we are totally inadequate when it comes to being a good representative of God without His help. Thank God for God! And that is the point: He will do for us what we cannot do for ourselves. Without His power, we are hopelessly doomed .

Much of the argument concerning virtue focuses on sexuality. The human instinct to reproduce is one of the most powerful forces in human nature. The tragedies and heartbreak as a result of lust and the consummation of illicit sexual behaviors is obvious. Human abuse stemming from unrestrained sexual appetites should be abhorred. The nature of sexual intercourse demands that it be honored as the method by which a man and a woman are joined in intimacy. Other than marriage, a platonic interaction between the sexes is a critical environment for healthy human development. The needed exercise of casual conversation between sexes and marital partners is dramatically enhanced without any impending sexual decision or pressure.

The virtuous condition is not one that is built within and sustained without continuous maintenance. Once we begin to rest. Once we feel like we have achieved virtuous living, we have lost the spirit of the matter. It is the buffoon who brags on his own humility. We catch ourselves struggling with truth, we begin to manipulate and connive. We begin the road to failure that is the destiny of ever fool.

There is a demand to virtuous living. It is what is wholesome. It is what is productive. It silences the clamors of chaos within our minds. It is the very substance of wisdom --It allows us a relationship with the Divine.