ODJ: long commute
January 6, 2011
The husband should fulfill his wife’s sexual needs, and the wife should fulfill her husband’s needs (v.3).
READ: 1 Corinthians 7:1-7
Michael Hanley traded an 8-minute commute to work for an 8-hour one. When his autoworker job in Wisconsin was phased out, he stayed with the company and took the only position available—in Kansas. His weekly round-trip commute is now more than 1,600 kilometers (1,000 miles). He’s gone from his family each workweek, seeing them only on the weekends. But he chose to stay with the company because of the good wages, a retirement package he’s working toward, and medical benefits. Being apart from his wife, however, has been brutal. The apostle Paul recognized how important it is for husbands and wives to spend time together. He knew that distance can make the heart wander—not necessarily cause it to grow fonder. And so he told the married believers in Corinth, “Do not deprive each other of sexual relations” (1 Corinthians 7:5). He supported this instruction with two points about sex: (1) Husbands and wives should fulfill each other’s needs for intimacy (v.3); (2) When the two wed, their bodies were no longer their own—but were to be shared by their spouse (v.4). It’s essential, however, that we live out these truths in gentle and tender ways (Ephesians 5:28-29; 1 Peter 3:7). Sex in marriage is meant to be selfless, not selfish. Husbands and wives have the God-given gift of sex as something to be enjoyed (Proverbs 5:18-19). But sometimes we drift apart emotionally . . . and physically. It might not be a long commute that keeps us apart, but things like the lack of loving communication, being unhealthily busy, and not being affectionate throughout the day. God desires for us to “remain faithful” to our spouses (Hebrews 13:4). To do so requires that we keep the stuff of life from coming between us and them. If we don’t, the results can be brutal. —Tom Felten
If you’re married, what is keeping you and your spouse from a healthy intimate relationship? How does God want you to change?
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im nt married bt i cant help bt think of future circumstances ‘that may be outa my hands’ which may affect intimacy wiv my wife…