Sex is not a new human obsession - the earliest writings and even Egyptian hieroglyphs illustrate man's ever present pursuit of physical pleasure. Beside the necessity to pro-create and continue the human race, sex is fun. Throughout history, men and women have sacrificed all they had on the altar of sexual pleasure.
Great men of high integrity have been ruined by unrestrained sexual conquest: David with Bathsheba comes to mind. Families, lives, and reputations have been ruined by one night of indiscretion. Ministries have been toppled while men and women of high standing in the Christian community have been destroyed because of unrestrained sexual impulses.
In the Bible, not only were whole cities destroyed due to illicit sexual sin, but the entire earth was flooded because angels couldn't restrain themselves from sexual behavior with human women! (for more on this CLICK HERE) Why - because sex is fun and the ultimate expression of intimacy.
America experienced a sexual revolution that began in the late 60's and has culminated to our anything goes society of today. The message: "if it feels good, do it!" becomes a modern day motto of sorts. "Safe sex" is taught in schools as early as kindergarten and the message of abstinence is scoffed at as ridiculously old fashioned.
The news is filled with the sexual misadventures of Hollywood stars and political figures making the rest of us feel as if we are somehow not normal for living monogamous or celibate lifestyles. We are taught in schools we are evolved from animals thus, we can only expect to act like animals, mating at will.
The church's attitude toward sex has been less than consistent, as well. Conservative churches are quick to attack the homosexual movement, while turning a blind eye to pre-marital sex within it's walls. We just expect dating heterosexuals to have sex or cohabitate. Maybe it is just easier to ignore and we fall back on the wimp's favorite passage when confronted with sin, "judge not..."
Sexual purity is essential to a healthy church and a healthy relationship with God. Romans 8:1 There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. Condemnation is not the issue, living a life pleasing to God and obeying the commands of scripture are the issues. My intent is not to shame or condemn anyone, my intent is to point out hypocrisy in the church while warning against falling outside God's will due to sexual sin.
Sexual sin, like all sin, separates us from God and restricts us from His blessings and provisions. Sexual sin, like all sin, hinders our ability to serve God effectively.
1 Thessalonians 4:3 For this is the will of God, your sanctification: that you abstain from sexual immorality;
1 Corinthians 6:18 Flee from sexual immorality. Every other sin a person commits is outside the body, but the sexually immoral person sins against his own body.
God loves you and does not set boundaries in order to restrict you from fun, He sets boundaries to protect you. In the case of God's commands against sexually immoral behavior, we are protected from disease and complicated entanglements within relationships. A study cited in the Ohio State Journal of Criminal Law named pornography and sexual freedom as two of the main contributing factors to violence against women.
God offers forgiveness and power to overcome the desires and temptations of sexual sin.
1 John 1:9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
1 Corinthians 10:13 No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.
Do not allow sexual sin to derail your spiritual life. God designed you for so much better! It is never too late to repent and live in purity.
Are you missing out on today while living for the mystery of tomorrow or in the shadows of the past? Are you living for a goal? Do you focus most of your time and resources on a desired result which may or may not manifest? Are you reveling in a past success or victory? Are you prisoner to your past, haunted by tragedy or failure? The past is gone and the future, if we are honest, is a complete mystery. The only true reality is the here and now.
Brennan Manning, in his book Ruthless Trust, introduced the concept of living in the Nowhere. Not pronounced no-where, but now-here. One of life's greatest dangers is missing life itself by living outside tangible reality. Now-here is tangible reality. Now-here is when you make life changing decisions. Now-here is where you live. The past is unchangeable and distorted by time where memory either glamorizes and sanitizes or casts crippling blame and shame. Tomorrow may literally never come and is filled with incalculable variables for which even the greatest minds cannot plan. The past and the future do not exist, there is only now-here, you can live now-here or you are living nowhere.
A man was given one day to enjoy the beach, desiring to leave his mark, he frantically built sandcastles until evening. He looks over all his hard work and seeing how much of it has been washed away by the tide, realizes he not only wasted his time but failed to enjoy the beauty of the sea, the salt air on his face or the sound of the ocean's roar. The man had one opportunity to enjoy what was before him and he squandered it in a worthless pursuit.
Like the man given one opportunity to experience the beach, we are given one opportunity to experience life. Much of what we pursue as important will be washed away by the tides of time. Working and planning for the future is necessary and wise, ignoring the now-here while working and planning is a tragic waste of the beauty and wonder with which God surrounds us.
In the book of Ecclesiastes, King Solomon looks over his life and laments on how he wasted his time. Solomon, the wisest and arguably wealthiest, man who ever lived, missed out on the simple pleasures afforded by daily life because he consumed himself with working toward future goals. He concludes:
Ecclesiastes 3:12-13 I perceived that there is nothing better for them than to be joyful and to do good as long as they live; also that everyone should eat and drink and take pleasure in all his toil—this is God's gift to man.
God gives us life, people around us, and tasks to perform, He desires us to enjoy these things while we are in the midst of them. God gave us taste buds to enjoy a good meal, the sense of smell to experience a beautiful perfume or scent of a rose, eyes to behold the wonder of a rainbow, a storm cloud or the face of someone we love. The Bible tells us that enjoying the journey is God's gift to us.
Balance is always wise, living as if there is no tomorrow is dangerous and foolish. Plan and work toward the future but not at the expense of the Nowhere. Live in today as you look towards tomorrow. Love in today as you plan for the future. Bask in the beauty of where you are now even as you are progress to a new destination.
Abel had it pretty good. He seemed to enjoy favor from both his earthly father, Adam, and his heavenly Father, Yehovah. Abel's life was cruising along nicely and then... tragedy struck! Tragedy struck for Abel when he realized his brother was about to kill him. Tragedy struck when Adam and Eve discovered that their son Cain killed their son Abel. A seemingly senseless tragedy, serving no purpose except to plunge two parents into grief at the loss of two sons, one murdered, the other banished by God Himself.
DOES ANYTHING REALLY SERVE NO PURPOSE?
Psalm 119:89-91 Forever, O LORD, your word is firmly fixed in the heavens. Your faithfulness endures to all generations; you have established the earth, and it stands fast. By your appointment they stand this day, for all things are your servants.
If we are to believe scripture, everything has purpose. If we are to believe scripture, God is not only sovereign, He is a God of order. If we are to believe scripture, man has free will and is not a creature of order. So, by the power of deductive reasoning, we can conclude: man is chaotic and allowed to freely choose chaos and disorder by a God of order and the tragedy wrought by the chaos of man is somehow used by God to bring about His stated purpose and order. Seems paradoxical, but somehow it works.
WHAT MAN MEANT FOR EVIL, GOD USES FOR GOOD
Many Jewish families were living, working and flourishing in Germany. Everything was going along fine and then...tragedy struck. Adolph Hitler nearly eradicated European Jewry. God used this great tragedy to re-establish the nation of Israel, a fulfillment of prophecy. In the midst of tragedy, most living in concentration camps had no sense of God's purpose, only hopelessness. God's purpose was always in play, however. Like a master chess player matched up against a novice, every move the novice makes ultimately serves the master's victory.
WHAT'S THE POINT?
Above are two tales of tragic events. At first, purpose may not seem apparent in the events of the first murder. Cain believed he could extinguish the light of God's truth by extinguishing the light bearer, in this case, Abel. God's purpose was to prove the light of truth is bigger than any one man. For more on this topic, CLICK HERE God is a God of purpose and order, no tragedy catches Him by surprise, nor can any tragedy thwart His plans. CLICK HERE for my post: Where is God When...?
The above verse tells us all things are God's servants. All things work together for the purposes of God, even tragedy in our own personal lives. The question is not always "why did this happen?" The real question is, "How will God be glorified in this, and what is my role in His glorification?" God, being all knowing, calculates every possible choice and action of chaotic man, employing a counter measure designed to use even the efforts of evil men to fulfill His plan for mankind. That is true power, that is true sovereignty. That is a God worth serving!
