My psalm

The woman I am

is not the woman

you need me to be.

Forgetting Truth.

Full of selfish wants,

and meaningless needs.

Far from perfection

I humbly fall to my knees.

All I have is yours.

It was you who gave it to me.

Open my eyes Lord,

to take to heart the Gift,

the grace, the life giving deed.

Make me the woman you want me to be.

Full of love,

full of light

and faith everlasting.

No more of me.

All of you.

I give up my desires,

my burdens and my will.

Let them be yours Oh God

Let them be yours.

Change the woman I am.

Because of who you are.

Guide my every step.

May I never wonder far.

I may never be Proverbs 31

But in my fails,

in my faith,

I pray to be like the Son

Love Sex and Lasting Relationships-Devotion 8

This week in Chapter 8 we are going go thought the 4 steps needed for commitment to God and his plan for lasting relationships. But first I just want to touch on a discussion that Chip had with a group of Christian men who challenged him to give them one good reason to not have sex before marriage that didn’t come from the Bible. Chip gave them 5.

1. Couples who abstain from sex before marriage have reported the highest sexual satisfaction in marriage.
2. Couple who live together before marriage have a 50% higher possibility for divorce than those who don’t.
3. Couples who abstain from sex before marriage have the highest rates of marital fidelity.
4. Couples who start having sex in a relationship commonly break up soon after.
5. Sexually transmitted diseases can spread without the person knowing they have one as STD’s can remain unnoticeable/dormant for up to 10 years.

Clearly, purity and abstaining from sex before marriage yields amazing, lasting results, but how do we do it? How do we not just talk the talk, but walk the walk as well? First you need to know that loving relationships demand two things of us. Sexual purity; where we walk in Agape love, and we walk in the light of God. Secondly, we have to make a game plan. This where is don’t just talk but we make action to separate us from the world.

Step one to this is to make a commitment. “Purity requires a personal commitment to the truth.” I can tell you from person experience that saying to God “I choose to be pure and to live and walk with the Love you’ve shown me though Christ.” Has actually made it easier to separate myself from the world. That doesn’t mean that there will be no temptation once you make a commitment, but once you make this decision it is easier to stand apart from the world’s temptations. Next, we need to meditate and reflect on the consequences of sexual sin. If hind sight is 20/20 then it is time for us to have perfect vision by studying the failures of those who came before us. Thirdly, we know that the closer we try to be with God the harder Satan will work to pull us away. So it is important that we decide who we are going to react in the face of these temptations.(Timothy 2:22) Lastly, something all Christians need ;Accountability. We have talked about the importance of community and brotherly love. This is a great example why. Having a brother, sister, mentor, pastor or someone you can talk to without judgment who will pray for you, encourage you and empower you in your walk is an essential step towards staying committed in your decision to walk in purity. Next week we are going to discuss in greater detail how special purity is. Over the next week pray, study, and meditate on your commitment to God.

Verses for reflection:

Ephesians 5:2-10

2 Corinthians 5:17, 20

Timothy 2:22

Romans 12:1-2,9-13

Love ,Sex and Lasting Relationships Devotion #4

 Discerning and getting down to the true meaning of Love.

I love autumn. I love a good caramel macchiato and I love my family. In each of these statements love has a different meaning. We tend to use the word “love” in a different ways meaning; enjoy greatly, or hold a favorable opinion towards, or infatuated with. This week we are going to define the three kinds of love listed in chapter 4; Eros, Phileo, and Agape.

Eros Love : Attraction, sexual desire. Song of Songs 1:1,

Let him kiss me with the kisses of his mouth—for your love is more delightful than wine.

God created us with passionate desires, and these things are good when we observe God’s design and sanctity of intimate passion and sex between a husband and wife. (Don’t worry we will dig deeper in chapter 6)

 

Phileo love: Brotherly Love, companionship, and fellowship. Romans 12:9-13.

Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. Be devoted to one another in brotherly love. Honor one another above yourselves. Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord. Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, and faithful in prayer. Share with God’s people who are in need. Practice hospitality.

Having fellowship, companionship, and community are important. It is very dangerous spiritually to be alone. God wants us to have community and companionship to offer us a chance to relate to Him by relating to other Christians. It also helps us hold each other accountable for our actions. Jesus spent a lot of time in fellowship using it as an opportunity to teach and in Genesis 2 God saw that Adam was alone and needed a partner. So God created one for him.

 

Agape Love: Giving, sacrificial, and selfless. John 17:22-23

I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one: I in them and you in me. May they be brought to complete unity to let the world know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me.

Jesus prays for his disciples and all believers just before he is arrested. This is one of my favorite chapters in the Bible. Every time I read it I am humbled. Agape love is given even when someone doesn’t deserve it. A person with this love see’s beyond their own personal reasons, gain or needs. They do not focus on the small picture, but the big. A mother will overlook her own personal needs to see that her children are provided for, and Christ died to see that we would have life everlasting.

 

Love is confusing and we often misuse the term when we are actually just infatuated. Next time you think you are “falling in love” reflect on the three kinds of love listed here to help you determine where your love lies. Next week we will touch on 12 differences to help you further discern between Love and Infatuation.

Additional Verses for Reflection:

 

Eros-Genesis 2:24-25, Phileo- Genesis 2:20, Agape-John 17