Wednesday, April 25, 2007

Sex (part 2)

Ever have your perspective changed? By perspective I mean your view or stance on something.

On a mission trip several years ago we went to a state park on one of our off days. There was a trail there that led 3.5 miles up a mountain. Several of us (myself and some teens in the youth group) decided to hike it. I was with a couple guys (Dion, Chris, Jon) as I hiked and climbed (we kept each other encouraged and pushed each other to go further). The view from the bottom was kind of bland. There were some interesting trees to look at and you could look out over the lake too (I was looking for fish!), but nothing really out of the ordinary to see. However, once we hiked to the top of the mountain, our perspective changed. We were no longer limited to just trees and the lake. Now we were looking down on the trees and the lake. You could see the whole countryside. It was a breathtaking view!

There’s a more recent time in my life where I noticed change in my perspective. I used to be able to listen to someone talk about the gruesome procedure known as partial birth abortion. I had my first child (a girl) three weeks ago and now when I hear someone talking about any type of abortion procedure I get queasy and have to turn the radio station or TV channel. My perspective has been forever changed.

God’s Word, if we let it, can change our perspective about a myriad of things. Take the whole issue of sex we’ve been discussing. I never knew how positive a stance the Bible took in regards to sex. From the Scriptures you would think God wants us to enjoy sex. Song of Songs, a poetry book in the Old Testament, is all about sex and love. There isn’t one mention of God, sin, salvation, or prayer in the entire book! Can you believe that? Why? Well, God is the designer of our sexuality and God is love. Real love originates from Him. If it weren’t for Him, we wouldn’t have a clue as to what real love is. This book takes delight in God’s gift of sex, sexuality, and love. It reveals to us that there is such a thing as holy sex. Sex isn’t a naughty little three-letter word. God never intended it to become that. Sex is a gift from God to be enjoyed within the confines of marriage (between a man and woman; you have to clarify that nowadays). You should read Song of Songs sometime this week. If you have a negative view towards sex maybe you need your perspective changed.
Your thoughts?

Wednesday, April 11, 2007

Sex (part 1)

We are kicking off a 4-week series on sex in youth group this week. Here are several of the points to be discussed.

- God created our sexuality when He made us in His image and likeness and made us male and female.

- God created sex.

- God designed sex to be a good thing within the confines of marriage.

- Marriage between a man and a woman can/should last a lifetime.

- Like other good things (e.g., being able to drive), sex must have boundaries to keep it healthy and safe.

- We find God’s boundaries for sex in our Bible.

- God is willing to listen to us talk about our frustrations, our questions, and any confusion we have over sex. He is also willing to guide us into truth about sex.

At the closing we wrote a thank you letter to God for His gift of sex. Here is mine.

Thank you God for creating men and women. I thank you that we are different. I thank you for the marriage relationship we can have with one person for the rest of our lives. I thank you for the gift of sex. I pray I am a good steward of Your gift and never do anything to show you disrespect or contempt. You were a genius when You created sex. It’s a beautiful thing and may I always remember that. I thank You for thinking of us when You gave us the unique gift of sex. Thanks!