"911, What Is
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According to a recent news report out of London, a man in China picked up the telephone and called the Chinese equivalent to our 911 emergency number. When asked what was his emergency, the man said he needed help from the police. When asked why he needed the police, the frustrated man replied that his wife had refused to sleep with him for 28 days. Help! Police! We sometimes act as if sex were “a four-letter word.” It’s not. In fact, God created sex as a beautiful gift for humans. The Bible has numerous passages devoted to sex (have you read Song of Songs lately?). For ages Christians have pondered the beauty and mystery of how a husband and wife “become one flesh” (Genesis 2:24, Matthew 19:5, Ephesians 5:31). Let’s be honest, sometimes Christian husbands and wives have disagreements centered on their sexual relationship. So what should they do, call 911 hoping participation in “the marital duty” can somehow be enforced? Not exactly. A better approach might be calling on the Lord. Can you think of anything more helpful in improving a husband and wife’s sexual relationship than both having “the mind of Christ” (Philippians 2:1-11)? Selflessness builds trust. Trust leads to mutuality. Mutuality encourages selflessness. “Now about the questions you asked in your letter. Yes, it is good to live a celibate life. But because there is so much sexual immorality, each man should have his own wife, and each woman should have her own husband. The husband should not deprive his wife of sexual intimacy, which is her right as a married woman, nor should the wife deprive her husband. The wife gives authority over her body to her husband, and the husband also gives authority over his body to his wife. So do not deprive each other of sexual relations. The only exception to this rule would be the agreement of both husband and wife to refrain from sexual intimacy for a limited time, so they can give themselves more completely to prayer. Afterward they should come together again so that Satan won't be able to tempt them because of their lack of self-control” ( 1 Corinthians 7:1-5 NLT). Trying to think like Jesus! — Bob Clark 11/2/2004
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