This Week’s Topic: Sex
Sex in Marriage
"The marriage bed must be a place of mutuality—the husband seeking to satisfy his wife, the wife seeking to satisfy her husband. 4 Marriage is not a place to "stand up for your rights." Marriage is a decision to serve the other, whether in bed or out.
Abstaining from sex is permissible for a period of time if you both agree to it, and if it's for the purposes of prayer and fasting—but only for such times. Then come back together again. Satan has an ingenious way of tempting us when we least expect it. 6 I'm not, understand, commanding these periods of abstinence—only providing my best counsel if you should choose them."
1 Corinthians 7:3-6 (MSG)
Reflect
Is sex a place of conflict in your marriage? If it is then God is speaking to you. He is saying that you need to check your attitude. Are you focused on your needs or on your partner’s needs? Are you being selfish or generous with your body? Remember that your body belongs to your spouse as well as to you. In fact you are “one”.
Never use sex, or withholding thereof, as a weapon. Never use it as a tool of manipulation.
Men, remember that of a wife’s top five needs, sex is not on the list. Woman, in the list of men’s top 5 needs, sex is number two. Husbands, have you learned to give your wife a back massage without it leading to the satisfying of your needs? Wives have you learned to initiate sex when you don’t feel like it because meeting his needs is more important to you than succumbing to your desire to skip it?
Sex is a GREAT place to practice living for your spouse and not yourself. And the payoff isn’t bad either.
Prayer
“Lord, help me this week to recognize that the power of my sexual desire (or lack thereof for my spouse) is a reminder to subordinate what I feel to my responsibility to put the needs of my spouse first. Amen"
Lord--Thank-you for your gift of women! For Mary, the mother of God, for the those who witnessed the empty tomb, and for the many generations of wives who have patiently and graciously maintained the sacrament of marriage with their sex obsessed husbands. Amen, Hallelujah!
ReplyDeleteGod as perfect Being possesses all the sublime qualities of maleness and femaleness in His one Person. While God is not sexual, He created the unique qualities of maleness and femaleness. Since God is complete in Himself, neither man nor woman is physically and spiritually fully complete without the other except as joined through God-honoring sex. Only an omnipotnet and omniscience God could have created such magnificance as can be found in man, woman and marriage and even this is a minimal reflection of Christ and His Church!
ReplyDeleteI guess we would have to say that the Apostle Paul was "physically and spiritually incomplete" for not pursuing either marriage or "God-honoring sex."
ReplyDeleteAmen to Anonymous #1!!
ReplyDeleteGood to keep in mind that much of these letters Paul wrote to the churches on these subjects were because they couldn't, based on teachings he gave them in person-figure it out on their own!!
Do we have to make sex legalistic, too?
Pastor thank you for listening to God and being a humble man. I have not reached such maturity yet. You are not legalistic and you know the scriptures well. This sex subject. As you can tell is hitting some peoples buttons. It is God they are upset with and his word.
ReplyDeleteKeep up the good work that God has called you to. He will sort it out.
I don't think it is wise or beneficial to judge another's motives. These comments may, indeed be an issue that needs to be brought before the Lord, or they may indeed have truth in them that your comments do not recognize.
DeleteWe are told to pursue peace, there are ways to do that that allows for honest communication without side taking and judgement. I'm sure your Pastor is not only aware of this, but for the very purpose of a blog, invites it.