By: Amy Barker
“So if your eye—even your good eye—causes you to lust, gouge it out and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to be thrown into hell.”
Matthew 5:28 (NLV)
The magical engagement and the path to the day that dreams are made of; teeming with photos and toasts, well wishes and dances, expectation and euphoria. It is typically a day void of negative thoughts like divorce or the unfathomable possibility of our fresh-faced spouse directing lustful thoughts to anyone other than ourselves. We certainly don’t believe we could lust after anyone other than our betrothed.
Jesus designed marriage, a covenant before God, to be a fortress of protection and sacred commitment to one another. When we marry, we are doing more than standing before family and friends in our perfect dress, hair and fluttering lashes. It is a promise to remain faithful to our body and our hearts. Jesus is pleased with our fidelity and has clearly outlined what true fidelity is. The glance that lingers too long, the smile that is a little too flashy or the deadly, unrealistic thought that life would be so much easier if our spouse were just a little more like this man? No, a Godly marriage is reserving the flirtatious glance and special smile for the man whose eyes locked with yours at the altar.
The Message translation puts it quite bluntly in Matthew 28. “You know the next commandment pretty well, too: ‘Don’t go to bed with another’s spouse.’ But don’t think you’ve preserved your virtue simply by staying out of bed. Your heart can be corrupted by lust even quicker than your body.”
I know the feeling, all too well, of the heartbreak of divorce. What probably began as a lingering glance and an open door of access culminated in betrayal and the demise of a covenant. The slippery slope of compromise.
Is it possible that social media, movies and TV programming make it more difficult for us? No, my friends, we have the "mind of Christ". He has given us the ability to adopt the perspectives, attitudes, and humility of Jesus, enabled by the Holy Spirit. We are fully equipped to make choices that preserve our sanctity and preserve the sanctity of our marriage.
Daughters, are you fully aware that Jesus raised the bar for sexuality and relationships? That is His gift to us.
Blessed to be in a second marriage where God is rightfully placed in the center. I have witnessed where the bar is placed, and it is not only attainable, it is vital. We have highways with rumble strips to keep us alert, focused and safe. God’s word does that, too. His highest and best for your life is to wait for the man He has for you and for the two of you to remain pure until that day. When the time comes for the wedding day, complete with Godly expectation, you and your spouse can and should seize that opportunity to live highly favored, sensual faithfulness.