ODJ: safety net
August 21, 2011
God’s will is for you to be holy, so stay away from all sexual sin (v.3).
READ: 1 Thessalonians 4:1-8
A friend of mine bought a trampoline for his young boys. After he had assembled it, his sons excitedly begged him to let them give it try. He reluctantly let them climb onto it but told them to be careful because he hadn’t installed the safety net around the trampoline. So his boys cautiously crept to the middle of the canvas and began timidly bouncing up and down.
Later, my friend installed the safety net. And again, his boys climbed onto the trampoline. This time, however, they didn’t hold back. In fact, they went wild—jumping all over the place. The net walls gave them the confidence and freedom to cut loose and truly enjoy the trampoline.
This reminds me of God’s design for sex. Our secular, sex-saturated culture subtly suggests and blatantly screams that the way to be fulfilled is to simply throw off all sexual restraint. But the only way we’re free to fully enjoy the gift of sex is within the boundaries of God’s intended plan.
God doesn’t just arbitrarily place boundaries on sexual activity. When His Word warns us to “stay away from all sexual sin” (1 Thessalonians 4:3) or “keep away from worldly desires that wage war against your very souls” (1 Peter 2:11), these aren’t legalistic rules to kill and enslave the spirit (2 Corinthians 3:6; Galatians 5:1). He has put loving boundaries in place because He knows that sexual sin outside of His design ultimately leads to untold heartache, suffering, and shame.
Rather than hold us back, God’s “safety net” leads to the passionate and joyful kind of obedience that David wrote about in the Psalms: “I run in the path of Your commands, for You have set my heart free” (119:32 TNIV). —Jeff Olson
How have you been tempted to step outside of God’s boundaries? What potential heartache are we spared by saving sex for marriage?
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