Look at any magazine or commercial, and you’ll see that what’s really advertised is sex. I’m not the first person to point out that our media is obsessed with it. You’d have to live under a rock to escape all the images that bombard our minds.
God, of course, calls us to a different lifestyle. Paul instructs us to “Run from sexual sin! No other sin so clearly affects the body as this one does. For sexual immorality is a sin against your own body. Don’t you realize that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, who lives in you and was given to you by God?” (1 Corinthians 6: 18-19). The church is countercultural, preaching a message that the secular world can’t understand.
But the message isn’t always welcomed. How many people had purity rings in high school? How many people took an abstinence pledge?...And how many people put those purity rings away once they got to college?
I believe abstinence is a noble commitment to make as a teenager, but much harder to live out as a young adult. We have more opportunities for independence, and if we don’t know where our confidence lies and secure our strong foundation in Christ, we won’t fully understand who God asks us to honor Him with our body. God is stronger than our physical passions, and if He’s calling you to celibacy at this time in your life, be encouraged! The countercultural church for Jesus Christ is standing behind you, cheering you on.
Prayer: You care about my body. You’re not just vindictive God, giving me an impossible command or ultimatum. No matter how difficult it is to treat my body as a temple of the Holy Spirit, it is possible because you said so. Help me believe it! Amen.
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