Dear Friends in the Faith:
Wait!!! Don't delete this message. It is not pornographic as the subject may suggest. But, it is prophetic for the relationally confused times in which we now live. Okay, let's clear the air and get it out so we can talk about it. God made sex and it is His idea. But, when the idea of "making love" rises to the front of our conversation numerous issues surface. Love songs from the past are partially the blame. The songs from the 70's that caused us to slow dance but, contained questionable ethics. Lenny Williams begged a sister until he got what he wanted from her. Here's how he put it, "Girl you know I, I, I, I, I love you....!!!" That legend Teddy Pendergrass alias Teddy P shouted it when he exclaimed with passion "Turn off the lights and light a candle. Rub me down with some hot oil baby....turn them off!!!" The music moved us but no one stopped to ask was the woman Lenny begging his wife. And no one bothered to inquire about the woman in Teddy P's shower. From these paradigms comes the missed instruction of "love making."
Today when subject of "love making" come up people call it the "nasty." It can suggest everything from two women in bed together, two men in bed together, an unmarried man with a married women in bed together, and two unmarried people in bed together just to name a few. The point here is this, our culture has been making love in the wrong position so long until we no longer see this beautiful God given act of love the way that it was meant to be shared! HBO recently did a documentary on teenage sexuality of middle schoolers in the US and the findings were staggering. 5 out of 10 of them were sexually active by the age of 12; 7 out of 10 had encountered some form of sexual contact by the age of 12; and, 9 out of 10 had encountered some form of sexually explicit material on the internet to include nude photos and pornography! In short, what they are being taught is love from the wrong position.
A devotional like this one is godly and necessary! In fact, if you are not married and you are sexually active and yet you stand under that banner of Christianity you are in the wrong position. If you are married and you are involved with anyone except for your covenanted spouse, you are in the wrong position. If you are involved in any behavior that would displease God and bring harm to you and your family, you are in the wrong position. But, if you are married, sharing your faith and your future with a spouse of the opposite sex then according to scripture you are indeed making love, and you are making love in the right position. The Bible says, "Now concerning the things whereof ye wrote unto me: It is good for a man not to touch a woman. Nevertheless, to avoid fornication, let every man have his own wife, and let every woman have her own husband. Let the husband render unto the wife due benevolence: and likewise also the wife unto the husband. The wife hath not power of her own body, but the husband: and likewise also the husband hath not power of his own body, but the wife. Defraud ye not one the other, except it bewith consent for a time, that ye may give yourselves to fasting and prayer; and come together again, that Satan tempt you not for your incontinency. But I speak this by permission, and not of commandment" (I Cor. 7:1-6, KJV).
Wait!!! Don't delete this message. It is not pornographic as the subject may suggest. But, it is prophetic for the relationally confused times in which we now live. Okay, let's clear the air and get it out so we can talk about it. God made sex and it is His idea. But, when the idea of "making love" rises to the front of our conversation numerous issues surface. Love songs from the past are partially the blame. The songs from the 70's that caused us to slow dance but, contained questionable ethics. Lenny Williams begged a sister until he got what he wanted from her. Here's how he put it, "Girl you know I, I, I, I, I love you....!!!" That legend Teddy Pendergrass alias Teddy P shouted it when he exclaimed with passion "Turn off the lights and light a candle. Rub me down with some hot oil baby....turn them off!!!" The music moved us but no one stopped to ask was the woman Lenny begging his wife. And no one bothered to inquire about the woman in Teddy P's shower. From these paradigms comes the missed instruction of "love making."
Today when subject of "love making" come up people call it the "nasty." It can suggest everything from two women in bed together, two men in bed together, an unmarried man with a married women in bed together, and two unmarried people in bed together just to name a few. The point here is this, our culture has been making love in the wrong position so long until we no longer see this beautiful God given act of love the way that it was meant to be shared! HBO recently did a documentary on teenage sexuality of middle schoolers in the US and the findings were staggering. 5 out of 10 of them were sexually active by the age of 12; 7 out of 10 had encountered some form of sexual contact by the age of 12; and, 9 out of 10 had encountered some form of sexually explicit material on the internet to include nude photos and pornography! In short, what they are being taught is love from the wrong position.
A devotional like this one is godly and necessary! In fact, if you are not married and you are sexually active and yet you stand under that banner of Christianity you are in the wrong position. If you are married and you are involved with anyone except for your covenanted spouse, you are in the wrong position. If you are involved in any behavior that would displease God and bring harm to you and your family, you are in the wrong position. But, if you are married, sharing your faith and your future with a spouse of the opposite sex then according to scripture you are indeed making love, and you are making love in the right position. The Bible says, "Now concerning the things whereof ye wrote unto me: It is good for a man not to touch a woman. Nevertheless, to avoid fornication, let every man have his own wife, and let every woman have her own husband. Let the husband render unto the wife due benevolence: and likewise also the wife unto the husband. The wife hath not power of her own body, but the husband: and likewise also the husband hath not power of his own body, but the wife. Defraud ye not one the other, except it bewith consent for a time, that ye may give yourselves to fasting and prayer; and come together again, that Satan tempt you not for your incontinency. But I speak this by permission, and not of commandment" (I Cor. 7:1-6, KJV).
But, here's the question for today, what's the right position for love in the eyes of God?
Position #1-Spiritual Compatibility. Hear this word of warning. Be careful around people that do not love the Lord like you do. Be cautious entering a relationship with someone that will tell you that they do not do the church thing! It is dangerous and my advice for you is to run!!! In the passage Paul gives us an elliptical of the cause. That is where the given truth is not openly stated. Here is that given truth, people should always be equally yoked together. If you are with someone and they tell you "it ain’t gonna hurt just this one time...." That's the wrong position! If you are near someone and they tell you "Jesus won't mid if we bump and grind...." That's the wrong position! If you are with someone that is really good looking but they tell you "I don't believe in Jesus Christ perse...." That's the wrong position! And, if you come across someone that is in church but will put their religion down to hook up other fleshly motives...." That's the wrong position. What makes love great is when both persons (male and female) are in Christ Jesus and He is in them. That's the right position and it pleases God!
Position #2-Serious Commitment. Listen, love is NOT a game! I do not know who did it, but somebody made love a game and it's been killing us. The end result of the game is children born out of wedlock due to a heated moment that was a one night stand, broken families, STD's and an increasing divorce rate. Love is a decision that you make that says I am with you no matter what! Real Love says I am not quitting on you no matter how hard things maybe. The sin in the passage is fornication. This occurs when people touch without a covenant being present. The problem is that the act is designed for those who are going to be together permanently, but it has been used by many of us temporarily. So when you gain temporary satisfaction from an act that was designed by God to be permanent you commit fornication. People say all of the time, "but Pastor what about a sample?" My answer is no! People often ask, "Well what about a test run?" My answer, no! You cannot pick a person like a rental car…….. sign a weekend contract, drive them hard and then drop them off when you’re done! In the eyes of God this is the wrong position. If you want love in the right position, it is covenanted love that is designed to last a lifetime!
Position #3-Submitted To Christ. Here's a great devotional question. Why is it so wrong for two consenting adults to just do what they want to do and do it until they are both just happy? Here's the answer, because you can tell who you worship by looking at who you spend the night with! Worship is not just clapping your hands and singing a song or two. Worship is what you do with your body. This is why your love should always be done in the right position. It is your worship! Paul is addressing this matter because the people in Corinth are worshipping foreign gods that are not the Lord. They are pagan gods of the underworld and the people are honoring these strange gods by embracing strange sexual encounters that please these strange gods. But, Paul says if you want to make God happy let a husband have a wife and let them touch! This act honors God and it blesses the man and woman involved. It is Holy in the eyes of God and it is the right position!
The greatest news of the day is this, for those in the wrong position God has a holy habit of letting people start over! I John 1:9 teaches us that God will forgive your sins and cleanse you from all unrighteous if you confess your sins to Him. This is shouting news at its best! If you are in the wrong position now is the time to make it right!
Your Friend and His Servant,
Dr. John R. Adolph
Position #1-Spiritual Compatibility. Hear this word of warning. Be careful around people that do not love the Lord like you do. Be cautious entering a relationship with someone that will tell you that they do not do the church thing! It is dangerous and my advice for you is to run!!! In the passage Paul gives us an elliptical of the cause. That is where the given truth is not openly stated. Here is that given truth, people should always be equally yoked together. If you are with someone and they tell you "it ain’t gonna hurt just this one time...." That's the wrong position! If you are near someone and they tell you "Jesus won't mid if we bump and grind...." That's the wrong position! If you are with someone that is really good looking but they tell you "I don't believe in Jesus Christ perse...." That's the wrong position! And, if you come across someone that is in church but will put their religion down to hook up other fleshly motives...." That's the wrong position. What makes love great is when both persons (male and female) are in Christ Jesus and He is in them. That's the right position and it pleases God!
Position #2-Serious Commitment. Listen, love is NOT a game! I do not know who did it, but somebody made love a game and it's been killing us. The end result of the game is children born out of wedlock due to a heated moment that was a one night stand, broken families, STD's and an increasing divorce rate. Love is a decision that you make that says I am with you no matter what! Real Love says I am not quitting on you no matter how hard things maybe. The sin in the passage is fornication. This occurs when people touch without a covenant being present. The problem is that the act is designed for those who are going to be together permanently, but it has been used by many of us temporarily. So when you gain temporary satisfaction from an act that was designed by God to be permanent you commit fornication. People say all of the time, "but Pastor what about a sample?" My answer is no! People often ask, "Well what about a test run?" My answer, no! You cannot pick a person like a rental car…….. sign a weekend contract, drive them hard and then drop them off when you’re done! In the eyes of God this is the wrong position. If you want love in the right position, it is covenanted love that is designed to last a lifetime!
Position #3-Submitted To Christ. Here's a great devotional question. Why is it so wrong for two consenting adults to just do what they want to do and do it until they are both just happy? Here's the answer, because you can tell who you worship by looking at who you spend the night with! Worship is not just clapping your hands and singing a song or two. Worship is what you do with your body. This is why your love should always be done in the right position. It is your worship! Paul is addressing this matter because the people in Corinth are worshipping foreign gods that are not the Lord. They are pagan gods of the underworld and the people are honoring these strange gods by embracing strange sexual encounters that please these strange gods. But, Paul says if you want to make God happy let a husband have a wife and let them touch! This act honors God and it blesses the man and woman involved. It is Holy in the eyes of God and it is the right position!
The greatest news of the day is this, for those in the wrong position God has a holy habit of letting people start over! I John 1:9 teaches us that God will forgive your sins and cleanse you from all unrighteous if you confess your sins to Him. This is shouting news at its best! If you are in the wrong position now is the time to make it right!
Your Friend and His Servant,
Dr. John R. Adolph
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