Day 1: Holiness for Your Marriage

If you read through all of the Apostle Paul’s letters in the New Testament, you’ll come across lists of unhealthy, even unholy decisions or behaviors people were making. Sexual immorality was something he brought up quite frequently. 

As such, there were some other teachers at the time who preached sexual abstinence, even for those married. In 1 Corinthians 7, Paul refutes this teaching. He writes, “…each man should have sexual relations with his own wife, and each woman with her own husband. The husband should fulfill his marital duty to his wife, and likewise the wife to her husband.”

This was Paul’s way of saying, “Yes, there’s sexual immorality, and it’s in your best interest to remove that from your lives. But sex itself isn’t immoral. In fact, it’s a good thing! And couples who are married have tremendous freedom to enjoy it.”

What Paul doesn’t address here, however, is how an individual or couple can best respond if one of them has experienced sexual abuse or other trauma earlier in life. That’s a completely different topic. Instead, he’s simply acknowledging that sex itself is not immoral, but is holy and pure and good within marriage. As you read today, consider this: Do you struggle to think of sex as holy, bringing glory to a marriage and to God? 

READING: 1 CORINTHIANS 7:1-9, PROVERBS 5:19

Do you struggle to think of sex as holy, bringing glory to a marriage and to God? 

Fill in the blank: Sex is ________. What are the first 3 words that come to your mind? Are these based more on your own life experiences, or what the Scriptures teach? 

F260 READING: (A Scripture Reading Plan for Busy Believers)

Read: Daniel 5 & 6

Reflect: What did you H.E.A.R. from God today?

PRAYER:

Heavenly Father, today I thank You for those in my life who provide me a safe place to talk about subjects such as sex and marriage. I confess that my thoughts about what sex is are not always based on Your Word. Help me to see this area of life in the way You created it to be. Healthy. Pure. And holy. I also pray that my thoughts and actions about sex will lead to more knowledge of who You are, and that this knowledge of You will be evident to all I interact with on a regular basis. I pray these things in Jesus’ name. Amen. 

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