Below are my thoughts from the daily
Bible reading of the West Side Church of Christ. Today’s reading comes from Song
of Solomon 1 - 8. Before reading I invite you to pray and asked God to speak to
you as you read his word. Also above in the tabs is a link to the Bible reading
plan.
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| Photo Credit: Microsoft Clip Art |
In the United States there are laws on
many state and local books that seem to be outdated. Like … in Ohio it is
illegal to fish for whales on Sunday … or in Ohio you must honk your horn
whenever you pass another vehicle … or in Cripple Creek, Colorado it is illegal
to bring your horse or pack mule above the ground floor of any building … or in
Denver, Colorado it is unlawful to lend your vacuum cleaner to your next-door
neighbor. These laws seem silly don’t they? Many were probably on the books
when they made sense and in an era gone by.
Now those above are funny. But then
there are a set of laws that many states have that deal in some way with sex.
Like in Virginia there is a law on the books that it is illegal to have sex
with the lights on and that only the missionary position is allowable. These
laws date back to an era where sex was viewed as a dirty and secret deed. They
date back to a time when discussion of sex was a taboo topic. When I think of
the heart of these laws I realize that for a very long time we had missed the
mark on God honoring sex.
God designed sex for multiple reason …
procreation, recreation, and connection between a husband and a wife. The last
part of that last sentence is the key though, God created sex for a husband and
a wife. Sex should be a positive element in a marriage. Sex is important to a
marriage. It is an activity that if done in a God honoring way only happens for
those two people between those two people.
God created sex. He created it to be
fun. He created it to be emotional. He created it to be messy. He created it to
be hot. He created it to be pleasurable. He created it to be sensual. He
created it to be venerable. He created it for connection. He created it to
simply be for a husband and a wife to be drawn together in a one flesh way. God
celebrates married sex. God spoke through Solomon to write an entire book of
the Bible to be devoted to sex. God wants us to glorify him in our sex with our
spouse. But he wants it to only be with our spouse.
There is a verse that pops up in our
reading today over and over again. It first appears in chapter two verse seven
in Song of Solomon … “Daughters of Jerusalem, I charge you by the gazelles and
by the does of the field: Do not arouse or awaken love until it so desires.”
(NLT) God created sex and gave it to us as a gift. However, it is a gift to be
shared in a marriage relationship and no place else. We must be on guard to
honor that gift. We must practice this ourselves if not married. We must share
this with our kids, our grandkids, and those around us. God wants you to enjoy
sex. He just wants you to wait, to awaken love in committed relationship. Let’s
talk about sex, not in a prudish way, but in a way that brings glory to God’s
creation.
At West Side we believe highly in
prayer. We are asking people to join with us in praying daily for West Side. If
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