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25 September 2007
Ephesians 5 v 3-5
But there must be no sexual sin among you, or any kind of evil or greed. Those things are not right for God's holy people. Also, there must be no evil talk among you, and you must not speak foolishly or tell evil jokes. These things are not right for you. Instead, you should be giving thanks to God. You can be sure of this: No one will have a place in the kingdom of Christ and of God who sins sexually, or does evil things, or is greedy. Anyone who is greedy is serving a false god.
People often ask, 'what do Christians have against sex and money?' Then they point to passages like this one to 'prove' how the Bible's 'always trying to spoil our fun'.
The truth is, the Bible doesn't have anything against sex or money - after the flood it was God who told Noah to "have many children, grow in number and fill the earth" (Genesis 9:1) and who gave King Solomon all his riches. But the Bible tells us that sex and wealth are gifts from God, and helps us understand how to use them. Sex is intended to be within a loving marriage; money and possessions are ours to enjoy and use to bring happiness to others.
Too often we see the beautiful gift of sex degraded and abused as a way of selling products, manipulating people or just for selfish satisfaction. Too often we see lives and families wrecked in the pursuit of more money and more things.
If we allow sexual immorality or greed into our lives, we end up looking at other people as objects, wondering what we can get from them and forgetting that they are made in God's image too. In the end, both can become an addiction gobbling up our time and efforts at the expense of the time and effort we give to God. Eventually, we end up worshipping the gift more than the Giver - serving a 'false god'. When we find ourselves pressured into the short term rewards of sharing the world's view of sex and money, it is worth casting our eyes upwards and reminding ourselves of our long-term reward; a place with Christ in heaven.
Dear Lord, when it comes to sex and money, it can be really difficult to live according to your word in a world that seems to want it all and doesn't care who gets hurts. Please give us wisdom and courage to live honestly in these areas of our lives, so that we can appreciate them for the good gifts that they are. Amen.
Written by David Redfield
Ephesians 5 v 3-5
But there must be no sexual sin among you, or any kind of evil or greed. Those things are not right for God's holy people. Also, there must be no evil talk among you, and you must not speak foolishly or tell evil jokes. These things are not right for you. Instead, you should be giving thanks to God. You can be sure of this: No one will have a place in the kingdom of Christ and of God who sins sexually, or does evil things, or is greedy. Anyone who is greedy is serving a false god.
People often ask, 'what do Christians have against sex and money?' Then they point to passages like this one to 'prove' how the Bible's 'always trying to spoil our fun'.
The truth is, the Bible doesn't have anything against sex or money - after the flood it was God who told Noah to "have many children, grow in number and fill the earth" (Genesis 9:1) and who gave King Solomon all his riches. But the Bible tells us that sex and wealth are gifts from God, and helps us understand how to use them. Sex is intended to be within a loving marriage; money and possessions are ours to enjoy and use to bring happiness to others.
Too often we see the beautiful gift of sex degraded and abused as a way of selling products, manipulating people or just for selfish satisfaction. Too often we see lives and families wrecked in the pursuit of more money and more things.
If we allow sexual immorality or greed into our lives, we end up looking at other people as objects, wondering what we can get from them and forgetting that they are made in God's image too. In the end, both can become an addiction gobbling up our time and efforts at the expense of the time and effort we give to God. Eventually, we end up worshipping the gift more than the Giver - serving a 'false god'. When we find ourselves pressured into the short term rewards of sharing the world's view of sex and money, it is worth casting our eyes upwards and reminding ourselves of our long-term reward; a place with Christ in heaven.
Dear Lord, when it comes to sex and money, it can be really difficult to live according to your word in a world that seems to want it all and doesn't care who gets hurts. Please give us wisdom and courage to live honestly in these areas of our lives, so that we can appreciate them for the good gifts that they are. Amen.
Written by David Redfield
