He was tall. He was good-looking. He was – I’ve got to say this – a good kisser. He knew my faith was important to me and so he never pushed me to do anything I wasn’t comfortable with or compromise my principles. But the thing was…he wasn’t a Christian.
I heard today’s verse in church one morning when I was seeing him and almost fell out of my chair. I wouldn’t find knowledge on his lips. How did the pastor know what I was struggling with? Did God put him up to it? Intimacy – even something as “innocent” as kissing – belongs in the context of a relationship. Becoming someone’s friend-with-benefits can seem tempting in those moments when it seems that God will never say anything but no, but it’s not what God intended for His children. God has so much better in store for you. He has plans to prosper you and not to harm you, and He wants to bless you beyond what you can ever dream up or imagine (Jeremiah 29:11; Ephesians 3:20).
An unhealthy friends-with-benefits relationship will cause you physical, emotional, and spiritual harm. The relationship can become like a drug. If gone unchecked, a simple make-our session with a friend can lead to sins that are even harder to control. James 1:15 says, “These desires give birth to sinful actions. And when sin is allowed to grow, it gives birth to death.” I don’t let my desires get in the way of God’s best, because He “blesses those who patiently endure testing and temptation. Afterward they will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him” (James 1:12). Prayer: The entrapment I feel in my earthly body can be stifling. Remind me that every good and perfect gift comes from you alone, and keep me pure as a child of the King. Amen.
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