A Time To Learn

Daily Devotional, January 28, 2011

A Time To Learn

2 Peter 1:3-11
Work hard to prove that you really are among
those God has called and chosen. Do these
things, and you will never fall away (v.10).

A video on GodTube captured a mother squirrel
trying to teach her baby how to scale a cement
wall. Over and over the mother squirrel patiently
showed how it was done, but the wall was simply too
big for the younger rodent to conquer.

Eventually, a few college students intervened. They first
placed a backpack up against the wall, hoping it would
function as a step for the younger squirrel. But it wasn’t
tall enough. Next, they made a higher step by placing
a couple of sandbags on top of one another. Finally the
little squirrel climbed on top of the sandbags and scaled
the daunting wall— having learned a valuable survival
lesson.

This little drama from the animal kingdom reminds me
of how God often deals with us. One of the reasons He
doesn’t instantly resolve our struggles or take us out of
seemingly insurmountable challenges is because they
provide valuable learning experiences. For instance,
after He brought Pharaoh to his knees through a series
of crippling plagues (Exodus 12:31-32), God didn’t pack
the Israelites’ bags and march them out of Egypt. They
had to do it themselves, learning the valuable lesson that
faith and effort often go hand in hand.

Too often the Christian walk is seen as believers
sitting back and letting God do everything for us. That’s
rarely the case. While God is always God, and we
can do nothing apart from Him (John 15:5), He’s not going to do all the work.
Sometimes He will provide a “backpack” or a “sandbag,” but He knows there
are lessons for us to learn through effort that will make us better in the long run.
—Jeff Olson

more›
Work hard to show the
results of your salvation,
obeying God with deep
reverence and fear
(Philippians 2:12).

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Power Failure

Daily Devotional - January 27, 2011

Power Failure

1 Samuel 13:5-14

Your kingdom must end, for the Lord has sought
out a man after His own heart. The Lord has
already appointed him to be the leader of His
people, because you have not kept the Lord’s
command (v.14).

An impromptu high-wire act by a 26-year-old man
caused a portion of Dongguan, a city in China,to experience a blackout.

The man had lost his job and chose to drown his sorrows by drinking heavily.
After his binge, the drunken one climbed a high voltage
cable tower and began walking and hanging on the
power cables. When firemen couldn’t coax him down,
they ordered the electricity to be shut off so he wouldn’t
electrocute himself. Four hours later, the guy finally fell
. . . landing softly on a safety cushion where he was
“greeted” by police.

King Saul once had a power surge (1 Samuel 10:6), but
he lost it all due to a rash decision. In the span of just four
chapters, we find the prophet Samuel anointing Saul as
Israel’s king (13:1) and then informing him that God had
rejected him as ruler of His people (v.14). Why the abrupt
change? Samuel made it plain to Saul: “Because you
have not kept the Lord’s command.”

The command was clear. Samuel told Saul to camp out
at Gilgal for a week until he arrived there to “sacrifice
burnt offerings and peace offerings” (10:8). But the king
got uptight when the mighty Philistine army with “as many
warriors as the grains of sand on the seashore” (13:5)
caused his army to begin “trembling with fear” (v.7).
With his army defecting and growing smaller by the
hour, Saul (literally) chose to play with fire and did the
burnt offering himself (v.9). That’s when Samuel caught him red-hot-handed and
gave him the bad news—his days on the throne were numbered.
Have you been tempted to make a rash decision—one that doesn’t honor God?

Fear can cause us to short-circuit our faith and future. Let’s choose to obey God
instead. He’s got all the power we need. —Tom Felten

more›
If once wasn’t enough,
later Saul disobeyed
another divine command
(ch.15). Read verse 22
to learn what Samuel
told the fallen king about
what God truly values.

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Follow Jesus...On Twitter

Daily Devotional, January 24, 2011

Follow Jesus...On Twitter

read›
Mark 1:16-20
Jesus called out to them, “Come, follow Me, and
I will show you how to fish for people!” (v.17).

Jesus has His own Twitter account. Well, actually,
hundreds of them. Search for “Jesus Christ” on the
social networking site, and you’ll find a plethora of
twitterers all tweeting in His name—some well-meaning
and many blasphemous. The most popular “Jesus” on
Twitter has over 34,000 followers!

Hmmm. Would the real Jesus use Twitter? I wonder.
“Follow me,” Jesus said to those first disciples (Mark
1:17). Unlike the rabbis of His day, Jesus wasn’t looking
simply for students—people who would sit at His feet
and ponder the law. And although it was His core
message to others (vv.14-15), Jesus didn’t even call
Simon, Andrew, James, and John to “repent.” He called
them to follow. This was a greater call than mere belief.
“I will show you how to fish for people!” Jesus added
(v.17). He had a vision for them, a calling that would
change their identity—no longer “fishermen” but “fishersof-
men.” This was a call to change.

“And they left their nets at once and followed Him”
(v.18). Jesus’ call claimed priority even over the disciples’
livelihood. This call would reorder their economic lives.
While crowds flocked to Jesus to receive healing
(3:7-10), such people were not His disciples. Demons
fell prostrate at His feet, but they certainly weren’t
His followers (v.11). To follow Jesus meant giving up
everything to do the will of God (3:35; Luke 14:33).

Would the real Jesus use Twitter? I don’t know. I do know that following the
real Jesus means surrendering our dreams, jobs, identities, and finances to Him
and choosing His plans for us (Matthew 22:37-39).
That’s not something you can do by simply pushing a button.
—Sheridan Voysey

more›
“Follow Me and be
My disciple,” Jesus said
to him. So Levi got up and
followed Him
(Mark 2:13-14).

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Sin & Self-Worth

Daily Devotional, January 20, 2011

Sin & Self-Worth

read›
2 Samuel 16:5-14
God showed His great love for us by sending
Christ to die for us while we were still sinners
(Romans 5:8).

A youth pastor avoids telling his teenagers that
they’re sinners because he doesn’t want to leave
the impression that they “suck” (that they’re
bad or worthless). A popular author denies that infants
are born with a sin nature because that would mean
that “babies suck.” And a friend who confessed to an
especially offensive sin said, “I guess this means I suck.”
Despite their juvenile descriptions of sin, notice that each
person confuses sin with self-worth. They assume that sin
means they no longer matter, when in fact their sin matters
only if they do. Sin is rebellion, and rebellion is a problem
only when the rebel carries some weight. If we really were
worthless, our sin wouldn’t count for much.

When King David was fleeing Jerusalem, he met
Shimei, an enraged loner from Saul’s dethroned family
who hurled stones and insults at the king’s entourage
(2 Samuel 16:9). David’s men wanted to crush Shimei,
but David told them to leave him alone, in part because
he was not a threat (v.10). Far different was David’s
response to Absalom’s army. He knew that those men
could destroy him and his kingdom, and so David threw
all of his weapons at them in the fight of his life (18:1-2).
God isn’t threatened by our rebellion, but the cross
informs us that He takes us and our sin seriously. If we
had no value, would God have given His life to save
us? The cost of our salvation reminds us that we and our
sin matter to God. If we minimize our sin, we also minimize ourselves and the
salvation which rescues us.

The surest way to tell someone they’re worthless is to ignore their sin. Treat
them like a Shimei whose rebellion is of no account. If you want them to know
they matter, you’re going to have to talk about sin. —Mike Wittmer

more›
Compare Philippians 3:3-6 and 1 Timothy
1:15-17 to learn how Paul balanced a
positive self-image with an equal appreciation
of his own sin.

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Investment Advice

Daily Devotional, January 19, 2011

Investment Advice

Luke 9:23-25
If you try to hang on to your life, you will lose it.
But if you give up your life for My sake, you will
save it (v.24).

A stock market consultant recently suggested, “People
should always sell when they have a better place
to put their money.” While true, the challenge is
recognizing when one place is better than another, which,
of course, no one can identify with any level of certainty.
I typically respond to this sort of financial advice with a
resounding “Duh! No kidding?” It’s like telling investors to
buy low and sell high. Please tell us something we don’t
already know.

Jesus once gave a crowd of people some fresh
“advice.” He said, “If you try to hang on to your life, you
will lose it. But if you give up your life for My sake, you
will save it” (Luke 9:24). I doubt there were few, if any,
in the crowd who said. “Well, duh.” Instead, most stood
there scratching their heads, thinking, Huh?

Although Jesus drove home this thought on more than
one occasion (Matthew 16:25; Luke 17:33), it’s not exactly
the kind of advice people hear every day. And while it
caused them to stop and think, those who truly heard Him
understood He wasn’t talking about holding on to our
physical life. The word Jesus used for “life” is the word
psyche, which is the Greek word for the soul. He was
referring to our inner life and clinging solely to our own
efforts and plans to secure it. In essence, Jesus was saying
that without Him, joy and meaning will slip through our
fingers.

Self-reliance is a poor investment to hold on to because it never works out the
way we think it should. And it prevents us from discovering the life our souls crave
in a friendship with Jesus and living for His purposes (John 15:15).
What might you be hanging on to that you need to “sell” in order to find your
life in Him? —Jeff Olson

more›
For My people have done two evil things:
They have abandoned Me—the fountain of
living water. And they have dug for themselves
cracked cisterns that can hold no water at all!
(Jeremiah 2:13).

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Waiting For Rain

Daily Devotional, January 18, 2011

Waiting For Rain

read›
Joel 2:18-32
Rejoice, you people of Jerusalem! Rejoice
in the Lord your God! For the rain He sends
demonstrates His faithfulness. Once more
the autumn rains will come, as well as the
rains of spring (v.23).

Competing against the thwap-thwap sound of
the windshield wipers, the rain beat a rhythmic
pattern against the car. Driving out of town for
a retreat with our youth leaders, I was thankful for the
chance to spend time with them.

The rain outside, however, fell in contrast to the desert
condition inside my heart. His presence real, I felt that
Jesus was near, but I wrestled with feelings of significant
disappointment in ministry. Soil that had seemed to
promise such beauty now seemed hardened by relentless
heat and wind. Nettles of discouragement readily
flourished in the dry, wounded places of my heart.
Jeremiah 17:7-8 says, “Blessed are those who
trust in the Lord and have made the Lord their hope
and confidence. They are like trees planted along a
riverbank, with roots that reach deep into the water.
Such trees are not bothered by the heat or worried by
long months of drought. Their leaves stay green, and
they never stop producing fruit.” In the moment of
adversity, however, we sometimes believe that something
has gone dreadfully awry. Wanting God to rescue us,
we cry out in our pain. We wonder at His timing, at His
seeming silence. All the while, in that place of confusion
and uncertainty, our spirit presses through the hardened
clay of surface living, pushes aside the gravel of selffocus,
and—in a refusal to give up—finds living water at
the point of desperation (John 7:38).

He is real, and so are His promises.

Jesus—who came and lived among us—“grew up in the Lord’s presence like
a tender green shoot, like a root in dry ground” (Isaiah 53:2). In the certainty of
His grace and the steadfastness of His hand, He can be trusted. The refreshing,
restoring rains will come again. —Regina Franklin

more›
Read Psalm 52:8-9
to see where we should
be planted and what
the attitude of our
heart should be in all
seasons—especially in
those where rain
is scarce.

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Illumination

Daily Devotional, January 17, 2011

Illumination

read›
1 Corinthians 2:6-16
For His Spirit searches
out everything and
shows us God’s deep
secrets (v.10).

It’s glossy and features the pics of people like Bono,
Angelina Jolie, the Dalai Lama, and Che Guevara.
If you glanced at the cover you might mistake it for a
fashion magazine. What is it? A New Testament called
The Bible Illuminated. The publishers, however, admit that
they don’t “support a specific faith.” Many of the images
of celebrities and well-known people are positioned next
to specific verses to make political or social statements.
The photos don’t “illuminate” the text. Instead, they
mislead and confuse the reader.

I’m grateful for the illumination that the Holy Spirit
brings, so that we can truly understand God’s Word
(1 Corinthians 2:10). He “shows us God’s deep secrets”
as we read and study it. Like a lens that allows us to see
what once was blurry and undefined, God’s Spirit helps
us grasp the truths in Scripture that nonbelievers can’t
possibly understand. To them it’s foolishness (1:18).
As the Holy Spirit illumines God’s Word for us, we
move from false and distorted views to the clarity of what
the Bible’s authors are actually communicating (2 Peter
1:21). Then, after the Holy Spirit has opened our eyes to
what the Word is saying, we can pray that He will also
help us take it to heart and obey it.

Now, when a particular passage of the Bible is
highly confusing or hard to understand, it’s good
to do two things: (1) Seek out helpful insights from
godly commentators and theologians who have studied the Scriptures and
experienced the Spirit’s illuminating ways; (2) pray for the Spirit to shed His light
on the verses in question. For “we have received God’s Spirit (not the world’s
spirit), so we can know the wonderful things God has freely given us”
(1 Corinthians 2:12).

Now that’s illumination! —Tom Felten

more›
In 2 Timothy 3:16-17,
Paul reveals that the
Scriptures came about
by God’s inspiration.
How does this differ
from the illumination
of God’s Word?

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Bubble Trouble

Daily Devotional, January 14, 2011

Bubble Trouble

read›
2 Timothy 3:10-17
All Scripture is inspired
by God and is useful to
teach us what is true and
to make us realize what
is wrong in our lives
(v.16).

The new eco-friendly dish detergent was superconcentrated,
so I squirted much less than usual
into the dishwasher. I cranked the knob and walked
away. Minutes later, I heard a gurgling noise. Suds were
bubbling out of the dishwasher and cascading onto the
floor. After sopping up the mess, I read the label on
the container: “Not for use with automatic dishwashers.
Hand-wash only.” Ugh . . .

Sadly, my approach to life is often the same as my
approach to washing the dishes—I jump right in without
reading the directions. But God’s Word contains the
instructions we need (Leviticus 18:5).

Paul pointed out that the Bible “teaches us to do what
is right” (2 Timothy 3:16). In another letter, he outlined
some of the basics: “Live peacefully with each other.
. . . Encourage those who are timid. Take tender care
of those who are weak. Be patient with everyone. . . .
Always be joyful. Never stop praying. Be thankful in all
circumstances” (1 Thessalonians 5:13-16).

The Bible also makes us “realize what is wrong in our
lives” (2 Timothy 3:16). Since “the Word of God is alive
and powerful” (Hebrews 4:12), it speaks to us when
we’re drooling over the neighbor’s new car . . . you
must not covet. It whispers, you must not steal, when we
could easily exaggerate business expenses. God’s Word
shows us our sin (Romans 7:7).

When I become blind to my sin and when I “forget” how God wants me to
live, His Word reminds me. The more I read the Bible, the more Scripture soaks
into my soul, where it can cleanse my conduct. This is how as Christians we
become “[equipped] . . . to do every good work” (2 Timothy 3:17).
—Jennifer Benson Schuldt

more›
Read Psalm 119:97-104
to see the benefits of
reading God’s Word.
Read Deuteronomy
8:11-14 to learn why it’s
important to read and
remember God’s Word.

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Four Hearts

Daily Devotional, January 13, 2011

Four Hearts

read›
Mark 4:1-20
Still other seeds fell on
fertile soil, and they
sprouted, grew, and
produced a crop that
was thirty, sixty, and
even a hundred times
as much as had been
planted! (v.8).

Theologian C. H. Dodd described Jesus’ parables as
stories that tease us into thought. They provoke us—
shock us even—into deep soul-searching.
The first parable in Mark 4 is a good example. Jesus
compared His preaching mission to a farmer sowing
seed that fell on different types of soil. Jesus’ missional
success depended not on His message (the “seed”), but
on how receptive hearts were to receive it (the “soil”). He
categorized His audience into four heart types:
• The hard heart, where the seed can’t penetrate (Mark
4:4,15). I once asked an author if he would ever consider
Jesus’ claim to be the Messiah. His reply was that there
was nothing that would sway him from his religion. In this
case, Jesus’ message couldn’t even get a hearing.
• The shallow heart, where initial faith is abandoned
because of hardship (vv.5-6,16-17). I knew a girl who
needed to decide whether Jesus or her boyfriend would
be her priority. She returned to her boyfriend, to the
demise of her faith. Her faith wasn’t yet deep enough to
face the costs of discipleship.
• The distracted heart, where the worries, riches, and
pleasures of life compete for our attention (vv.7,18-19).
At one time, this was me. When I came to faith, my life
changed but my old lifestyle of nightclubs and music vied
for allegiance. I gave in and my faith began to wither.
• The attentive heart, where the message is received
and pursued for life (vv.8,20). This heart produces a miraculous harvest of fruit!
Jesus invited His audience to wrestle with this parable and wring out its
meaning (v.9). Failure to do so would prove there was little interest in Him and His
forgiveness (v.12). Jesus’ invitation extends to us today. How open is our heart to
His voice and message? How open is our heart to Him? —Sheridan Voysey

more›
Read Isaiah 53:1.
It seems that God’s
prophets have always
had a hard time being
heard. Read Revelation
3:20 to hear Jesus’
response to an open
heart.

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Temptation

Daily Devotional, January 12, 2011

Into Temptation

read›
Luke 4:1-13
[Jesus] was tempted by
the devil for forty days
(v.2).

One of the most distressing portions of Scripture is
the part of Luke’s gospel that tells us Jesus “was
led by the Spirit in the wilderness” to be tempted
by the devil (4:1). The Spirit took Jesus into the dark
wilderness? We think of God as the One who keeps
danger at bay, not One who invites us to face difficulties.
But God never promises to steer us clear of temptation
or intense difficulty. Far better, the Spirit promises to go
with us into the mouth of the dragon. God went through
the tumultuous waters of the Red Sea with Israel (Isaiah
43), and God was present with the young Hebrew men
in the fiery furnace (Daniel 3). God was present with
Jesus, and God will be with us.

In the wilderness, Satan’s temptation was a multistep
ploy to get Jesus to go on His own, separating Himself
from the very One who was with Him there. Satan
tempted Jesus to:
• turn stone to bread (providing for Himself rather
than trusting God, v.3).
• worship Satan and gain all Satan’s domain
(grabbing His own kingdom rather than remaining
under God’s rule, v.5).
• hurl Himself off the temple’s pinnacle (taking life
into His own hands rather than simply trusting God’s
goodness, v.9).

With each temptation, however, Jesus answered Satan
with Scripture—rebuking Satan’s words with God’s words. Jesus knew the truth,
and He knew God was with Him even in that vile place.

I have a friend who’s angry at God for not averting suffering and pain at a
particular moment in his life. I believe Jesus was with my friend, however, even
in his pain. If he would trust God’s kind presence, he would discover something
far better than release from his painful circumstances. —Winn Collier

more›
• Psalm 23:3
• 1 Corinthians 10:13
• James 5:11

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Healthy, Wealthy & Wise

Daily Devotional, January 11, 2011

A Healthy Lifestyle

read›
Proverbs 4:20–5:2
So be careful how you
live. Don’t live like fools,
but like those who are
wise (Ephesians 5:15).

Recently, I attended a presentation on heart attack
prevention. The speaker reminded us to make
healthy lifestyle choices that help reduce the risks
of having a heart attack. We were told that not smoking,
eating the right foods, maintaining a proper weight,
reducing and managing stress, and participating in
physical activities can contribute to a healthy heart.
In Proverbs we find some instruction can make us
spiritually healthy (4:23):

Keep your mouth right (Proverbs 4:24). Our Lord
says, “Whatever is in your heart determines what you
say” (Matthew 12:34-37). Our words should be godly (2
Timothy 2:16), wholesome and encouraging (Ephesians
4:29), gracious and attractive (Colossians 4:6). This
means speaking the truth in love (Eph. 4:15).

Keep your eyes right (Proverbs 4:25). The eyes are the
most influential parts of the body. What the eyes see,
the heart wants (Genesis 3:6; Matthew 5:28). Keeping
our eyes on Jesus (Hebrews 12:1-2) will overcome our
“craving for everything we see” (1 John 2:16).

Keep your ears right (Proverbs 4:20-22, 5:1-2). Listen
carefully to God’s Word. Let God’s Word penetrate deep
into your heart (v.21), and you will live (Proverbs 4:4).
For God’s words are “life to those who find them and
health to a man’s whole body” (v.22 NIV; John 6:68).
Keep your feet right (Proverbs 4:26-27). Be careful
where you walk (Proverbs 4:11-15), with whom you walk (Proverbs 2:20), and
how you walk (Jeremiah 6:16). Walk as Jesus did (1 Peter 2:21; 1 John 2:6), led
by His Spirit (Galatians 5:16,25), in light (1 John 1:7), in love, in obedience (2
John 1:6), and in truth (3 John 1:3-4).

Choose to avoid the risks that lead to spiritual sickness. Use your mouth, eyes,
ears, and feet to pursue a healthy lifestyle in Jesus today. —K.T. Sim

more›
Give me an eagerness
for Your laws rather
than a love for money!
Turn my eyes from
worthless things,
and give me life
through Your Word
(Psalm 119:36-37).

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Good Company

Daily Devotional, January 10, 2011

Good Company

read›
1 John 3:16-19
We think of your faithful
work, your loving deeds
(1 Thessalonians 1:3).

One of the highlights of living in East Africa is
meeting men and women from around
the world who come through the region to
participate in short or long-term missions. Today, for
example, while sitting in a Kampala, Uganda, coffee
shop, I met a young married couple from Charleston,
South Carolina. Amanda and Michael recently moved
to Uganda to help their church build a medical center in
one of the country’s most impoverished areas.

I enjoyed learning about the couple’s work and how
the Lord had led them to leave home and serve in Africa.
Our conversation reminded me that whether in our own
neighborhood or abroad, it’s inspiring to hear about and
spend time with people who have experienced God’s
love and are in turn sharing it with others.
Such individuals strive to live out the essence of
1 John 3 by enthusiastically . . .
• Giving up their lives and comforts in behalf of their
brothers and sisters around the world (v.16).
• Demonstrating God’s love by sharing their money
and resources with the poor—showing compassion to
brothers and sisters in need (v.17).
• Demonstrating love through their actions rather than
merely professing love to others (v.18).
• Letting their behavior convey God’s truth (v.19).

In his bestselling book Today Matters, John C. Maxwell
writes, “It’s a fact that you become more like the people you spend time with.
If you desire to increase your faith, spend time with others who exercise theirs.
Learn from them. Find out how they think.” And, I might add, how they act.
As God nudges you to engage in service to others, be intentional about
building friendships with people who are already doing so and who can lead
you by their example. —Roxanne Robbins

more›
We wanted to give you
an example to follow
(2 Thessalonians 3:9).

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Daily Devotional, January 07, 2011

Dismembered

read›
Galatians 5:13-26
If you are always biting
and devouring one
another, watch out!
Beware of destroying
one another (v.15).

Because my husband and I live in the “Bible Belt”
(historically, the South and parts of the Midwest
of the US), we can drive for miles around town
with at least one church always in view. While the
variations of buildings and denominations can be seen
as a demonstration of the diversity within the body of
Christ, sadly we can also mark far too many of them
as divisions from another body. Having experienced a
major split in our own church almost 4 years ago, I’m still
trying to process the complexity of the situation and the
resulting hurt and disillusionment.

Scripture clearly indicates that there are times and
seasons when God works within the factions of man. In
the Old Testament, God specifically told Rehoboam and
his people not to pursue the tribes that were leaving to
follow Jeroboam, for their departure was “[the Lord’s]
doing” (1 Kings 12:24). Later in the New Testament,
irreconcilable differences brought Paul and Barnabas to
the point of separation (Acts 15:39).

However, in a world where human trafficking, slavery,
and destitution still exist and believers around the world
suffer death for the gospel, I often wonder what God thinks
of our church disagreements. When we enjoy prosperity,
we can forget that church is not really about us. While there
are justifiable reasons to rebuild and tear down (Eccl. 3:3),
we must realize the high level of accountability in such
decisions.

Ultimately, the justification should not be our comfort, but God’s Word.
Ephesians 6:12 reminds us that our battle is not against flesh and blood, but
against the sinister and divisive powers of the enemy. When our feelings are
hurt and our frustration level runs high, it’s a difficult truth to remember. May
we live watchful of the hour, so that we might be a pure bride ready for the
Bridegroom’s return and not a bride dismembered by factions. —Regina Franklin

more›
• John 13:34-35
• 1 Corinthians 1:10
• 2 Corinthians 12:20

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Daily Devotional, January 06, 2011

Long Commute

read›
1 Corinthians 7:1-7
The husband should fulfill
his wife’s sexual needs,
and the wife should fulfill
her husband’s needs
(v.3).

Michael Hanley traded an 8-minute commute to
work for an 8-hour one. When his autoworker
job in Wisconsin was phased out, he stayed
with the company and took the only position available—
in Kansas. His weekly round-trip commute is now
more than 1,600 kilometers (1,000 miles). He’s gone
from his family each workweek, seeing them only on
the weekends. But he chose to stay with the company
because of the good wages, a retirement package he’s
working toward, and medical benefits. Being apart from
his wife, however, has been brutal.

The apostle Paul recognized how important it is
for husbands and wives to spend time together. He
knew that distance can make the heart wander—not
necessarily cause it to grow fonder. And so he told the
married believers in Corinth, “Do not deprive each other
of sexual relations” (1 Corinthians 7:5). He supported this
instruction with two points about sex: (1) Husbands and
wives should fulfill each other’s needs for intimacy (v.3);
(2) When the two wed, their bodies were no longer their
own—but were to be shared by their spouse (v.4). It’s
essential, however, that we live out these truths in gentle
and tender ways (Ephesians 5:28-29; 1 Peter 3:7). Sex
in marriage is meant to be selfless, not selfish.

Husbands and wives have the God-given gift of sex
as something to be enjoyed (Proverbs 5:18-19). But
sometimes we drift apart emotionally . . . and physically. It might not be a long
commute that keeps us apart, but things like the lack of loving communication,
being unhealthily busy, and not being affectionate throughout the day.

God desires for us to “remain faithful” to our spouses (Hebrews 13:4). To do
so requires that we keep the stuff of life from coming between us and them. If
we don’t, the results can be brutal. —Tom Felten

more›
Note that Paul also
lifts up singleness as a
God-glorifying way to
live (1 Cor. 7:7). Check
out verses 32 to 35 for
the unique ways the
single person can
glorify God.

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