1. Is it the attention?
2. Is it the affection?
3. Is it the desire to be loved?
4. Is it the need to feel wanted and accepted?
I think so often it is all of the above and that is ok. We were created to feel these things, it is normal. Geniuses 2:18 "And the Lord God said, 'It is not good that man should be alone; I will make him a helper comparable to him"
You see those feelings and desires are from God. The way we are attracted to others, to be in relationships with other and to pursue getting to know others is natural. It is what we do with it that has destroyed it. We have manipulated it, twisted it and caused our hearts to much grief over it because we have given into the ideas of make-out partners, friends with benefits and booty calls. And I know that some of you would argue and say no but the reality is that 5 out of 10 high school students will have sex before the age of 18 and the reality is that in christian circles the percentage is high because no one questions the christian kid.
At the end of the day I am not saying that I think you should "Kiss Dating Good-Bye" or unless you find the perfectly "Dateable" one then you should stay single forever. All I am saying is that when the disciples and pharisees asked Jesus what the greatest commandments of all were, this is what he had to say...
Mark 12
28One of the teachers of the law came and heard them debating. Noticing that Jesus had given them a good answer, he asked him, "Of all the commandments, which is the most important?"
29"The most important one," answered Jesus, "is this: 'Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one.[e] 30Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.'[f] 31The second is this: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.'[g]There is no commandment greater than these."
32"Well said, teacher," the man replied. "You are right in saying that God is one and there is no other but him. 33To love him with all your heart, with all your understanding and with all your strength, and to love your neighbor as yourself is more important than all burnt offerings and sacrifices."
34When Jesus saw that he had answered wisely, he said to him, "You are not far from the kingdom of God." And from then on no one dared ask him any more questions.
So for us I think this brings us back to the beginning. Before we pursue a boy/girlfriend and get caught in the manipulated view of sex and love we must ask ourselves if we are holding true to these 2 commandments. Are we pursuing Christ with all of our heart, mind, soul and strength or are we pursuing an emotional fix that will never fill our need and inevitably leave us empty. Don't believe the hype: Sex is a beautiful thing created by God to be the molding and uniting of souls...not the irresponsible physical display of lust that may feel good now but leave us empty later.
Where do you find ourself today? Are you pursuing Christ will all your being or are you complacent with chasing boys/girls looking for something to fill that void in our heart. Boyfriends and girlfriends are not bad or the devil, but like anything else when you put them before your pursuit of God they will not fulfill you. Love you and have a great day.
Thank you for not saying we should kiss dating goodbye, that really tends to frustrate me. And also I totally agree that you shouldn't pursue anyone more than God because in the end He's the one that completes you, not another person. Thanks.
ReplyDeleteThanks so much for giving this lesson.
ReplyDeleteI'm not going to lie, I've always thought the idea of sex was very appealing. Before you get any ideas, let me explain what I mean. When I was little, before I figured out what sex literally meant, I attended one of the big services at FBCN about sexual relations. I remember at the beginning Jeff said something about it being a sermon for an older audience and not for kids. Ofcourse, being the rebel that I am, this caught my attention and made me want to know more. I was pretty convinced that if I tried, I could wrap my mind around whatever adult concept he threw my way. Well, it turns out, alot of it went over my head----waaayyy over my head---but I took out of it what little bit I could understand. I understood that sex (whatever that meant) was something very special because you only did it with the person that you love. I understood that it was a gift God gave at the same time that he created Eve to keep Adam company. I understood that it was meant to be an expression of love between two people. I also understood that until God gave me an Adam to love, I was not to open this gift. Because if I did, then on my wedding day, I would have to present My Adam the gift with the wrapper torn. And giving him a recycled gift is no way to express my love.
I know this is kind of a childish way to look at it, but it's the simplest and truest way I have to think about it. Yes, sex its self has become a very adult topic, but it should be about love. Something even a child---especially a child---can understand. That's what I find most appealing about sex.