Friday, January 04, 2019

LOVE OR LUST?



“Drink water from your own cistern, And running water from your own well. Should your fountains be dispersed abroad, Streams of water in the streets? Let them be only your own, And not for strangers with you. Let your fountain be blessed, And rejoice with the wife of your youth.” (Proverbs 5:15-18)

Sex is not sinful.  God invented it.  He wired us up as sexual beings—male and female.  Indeed, it is for the procreation of the species, but more than that—it is for the pleasure of the spouses.  There is a binding power that goes beyond the physical—extending into the spiritual and emotional realm, when the two become one flesh.

The problem is that this powerful force has become perverted through sin.  What many call, “making love,” is actually fulfilling lust.  It is not about giving to the other person, but getting from them.  Coming together as husband and wife in the commitment of marriage is a wondrous thing, but to do so outside of that covenant relationship is a wicked thing.  The former is delightful and the latter destructive. God’s commandments are not meant to kill our joy, but to kindle it with a holy fire.

Think of it this way.  A fire contained inside a wood stove will heat your house all winter, but let that fire escape confinement and it will burn your house down.  That is the way sexual expression is.  In the arms of your mate, it will keep the relationship warm, but in the arms of an immoral person, it will consume you.  You can look at a fence in two ways.  You can view it as a barrier to keep you from getting something you want, or you can see it as a protection to guard something from harm.  The Lord took sex and put it behind a fence called marriage, and he did it to preserve our joy—not to prevent it.

Adults, let us model faithfulness to marriage.  Let us teach our children  and grandchildren the truth that the world mocks.  Young reader, heed this message.  You will be glad you did.  If we have failed, let us repent and renew our commitment to God’s wisdom.

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