In 2007, God called us from a fifteen year history in manufacturing to Life Action Ministries to help support the message of revival. It is our desire and passion to see personal revival transform lives in order that we may become a nationwide community of believers who are loving, Christ-like, and committed, so that Christ’s redemptive purposes can be accomplished in the world.
Sunday, October 31, 2010
Travel Days
Tuesday, August 31, 2010
Update and Invitation
Its hard to believe that summers end is fast approaching. Its also hard to believe that next week Monday (Labor Day) we once again hit the road for the beginning of what is scheduled to be a full season. We have a great new team (some new, some returning from last year) of 18 single team members and two staff families that will make up what is known as the Revival Conference Team (aka the White Team). We are scheduled to be in twenty four churches and one prison this year (The Angola Prison in Louisiana). We will be traveling to Canada for part of the fall trimester where we will spend five weeks in the Ontario area. The summer has been a time of reconnecting with family and friends, preparing for the upcoming season with messages, logistics, new team members, etc… We have been heavy into staff training since the end of July where all three teams have been at Life Actions Camp preparing and getting ready for the new ministry season. Our team consists of Musicians, Worship Leaders, Children’s Ministers, Audio/Visual Technicians, Bus and Truck Drivers, and a few others to round the whole thing out (as well as the two families).
Once again this year, we are having a trailer “open house”. It will be this week Thursday September 2, from 5:00 –7:00 PM. We would love to see as many individuals and families stop buy to say hello or goodbye. If its feasibly possible would you consider paying a visit during that time in order that we may connect one last time with you before we leave? Jennifer, myself and the kids would be encouraged to see you, and you can check out the truck and trailer as well.
Thanks to all of you who made life at home “normal” for us this summer. Your prayers, friendship, and support encourage and bless us as we have been refreshed as a result of being home. We eagerly anticipate God doing great and mighty things this year in ourselves, team members, and the church bodies that we have been invited to minister alongside throughout North America.
See you on Thursday.
Ben, Jennifer, Christian and Elizabeth.
Monday, July 19, 2010
The Power of Forgiveness
"Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you." - Ephesians 4:31-32
There isn't one person reading this who hasn't been hurt by another person. Question: what are you doing with that offense? Do you hold them hostage for the injury they inflicted on you? How many hours and days have you wasted thinking, "You owe me and I'm going to make you pay?"
That's a tough question on a painful topic but you have to get it settled. In order to navigate your way through relationships, you need to hold a conviction about how you're going to respond when someone hurts you.
Ephesians 4:31-32 gives us direction: "Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you."
Read that last phrase again, "as God in Christ forgave you."
As freely as He forgave you.
As quickly as He forgave you.
As generously as He forgave you.
Jesus models what forgiveness should look like in our lives. He was falsely accused, mocked, beaten, and spat upon, then crucified. As He hung on that cross for your sins and mine, He said: "Father, forgive them." Jesus' model motivates us to live out Ephesians 4:32, "Just as God in Christ has forgiven you."
You've heard me say it before: there are no enduring relationships without forgiveness. None. Before you go very far in any partnership, there will be forks in the road where if you do not forgive, the relationship will not survive. It's true in every marriage, in every household, in every small group, in every friendship. This is always, always true.
You know that Kathy and I are committed to serving in one church for a lifetime. As I'm preaching, I look into the faces of people I've known for a long time. I know that I would not have those relationships today were it not for their willingness to forgive me and my willingness to forgive them. Forgiveness says, "Because of Christ, you owe me nothing."
I love this true account from the life of Leonardo DaVinci. Not only was he a great painter, but DaVinci had a great faith in God. On the day he was to begin to paint the masterpiece, "The Last Supper," he had a blow-out argument with one of his friends.
As he was painting the disciples seated around the table, DaVinci was still sour toward his friend. So when it came time to paint Judas - you guessed it - he painted his friend's face. Then he moved on to paint Jesus. Of course Leonardo loved Christ but try as he might, he couldn't paint His likeness in any way that he thought represented His beauty. He painted, erased, painted, erased. Convicted by his own unforgiveness, he repainted the face of Judas with some other, random likeness and went to get right with his friend. Only then could he return to finish his portrait of Christ.
It's been said that DaVinci's face of Christ in this work is one of the most beautiful ones ever painted. What a great picture of the mercy in forgiveness. It will bear itself out in your life and mine. We will not see the likeness of Christ reproduced in our lives until we forgive.
Has the Lord brought a relationship to mind that needs your long-overdue forgiveness? By faith say, "Because of Christ, you owe me nothing.”
Take to heart God's call on your life: "Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you."
James McDonald - Walk in the Word
There isn't one person reading this who hasn't been hurt by another person. Question: what are you doing with that offense? Do you hold them hostage for the injury they inflicted on you? How many hours and days have you wasted thinking, "You owe me and I'm going to make you pay?"
That's a tough question on a painful topic but you have to get it settled. In order to navigate your way through relationships, you need to hold a conviction about how you're going to respond when someone hurts you.
Ephesians 4:31-32 gives us direction: "Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you."
Read that last phrase again, "as God in Christ forgave you."
As freely as He forgave you.
As quickly as He forgave you.
As generously as He forgave you.
Jesus models what forgiveness should look like in our lives. He was falsely accused, mocked, beaten, and spat upon, then crucified. As He hung on that cross for your sins and mine, He said: "Father, forgive them." Jesus' model motivates us to live out Ephesians 4:32, "Just as God in Christ has forgiven you."
You've heard me say it before: there are no enduring relationships without forgiveness. None. Before you go very far in any partnership, there will be forks in the road where if you do not forgive, the relationship will not survive. It's true in every marriage, in every household, in every small group, in every friendship. This is always, always true.
You know that Kathy and I are committed to serving in one church for a lifetime. As I'm preaching, I look into the faces of people I've known for a long time. I know that I would not have those relationships today were it not for their willingness to forgive me and my willingness to forgive them. Forgiveness says, "Because of Christ, you owe me nothing."
I love this true account from the life of Leonardo DaVinci. Not only was he a great painter, but DaVinci had a great faith in God. On the day he was to begin to paint the masterpiece, "The Last Supper," he had a blow-out argument with one of his friends.
As he was painting the disciples seated around the table, DaVinci was still sour toward his friend. So when it came time to paint Judas - you guessed it - he painted his friend's face. Then he moved on to paint Jesus. Of course Leonardo loved Christ but try as he might, he couldn't paint His likeness in any way that he thought represented His beauty. He painted, erased, painted, erased. Convicted by his own unforgiveness, he repainted the face of Judas with some other, random likeness and went to get right with his friend. Only then could he return to finish his portrait of Christ.
It's been said that DaVinci's face of Christ in this work is one of the most beautiful ones ever painted. What a great picture of the mercy in forgiveness. It will bear itself out in your life and mine. We will not see the likeness of Christ reproduced in our lives until we forgive.
Has the Lord brought a relationship to mind that needs your long-overdue forgiveness? By faith say, "Because of Christ, you owe me nothing.”
Take to heart God's call on your life: "Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you."
James McDonald - Walk in the Word
Monday, May 17, 2010
Seeing God Work
On Friday we arrived in Roanoke, VA and have just begun a 4-day Thirst Conference at Green Ridge Baptist Church. This is church number fifteen since January 1. Last week we completed an 8-day conference in Mansfield, Ohio and really saw God do a great work in the lives of individuals, especially pertaining to marriages and families. Bitterness, unforgiveness, not having a clear conscience before God and man, and spiritual leadership were huge areas where many came to the point of obedience in dealing with these issues and experienced the freedom that comes as a result. Last Sunday we saw over 65 people give public testimony (4+ hours) as to what God had been saying to them and how they had responded during our days together. What an encouragement to those in attendance to see and hear testimony of lives and families changed forever. Listed below are some of the initial prayer requests that we received upon arrival in Mansfield:
“That I would work through forgiving someone who has hurt me and my family. I know now that I am and have been bitter and I want and desire to be thankful for this situation.”
“To help me release the unforgiveness in my heart toward my mother.”
“A miracle in my marriage, a miracle in my church, a miracle in our world.”
“What is keeping me from revival is hanging onto my relationship with my boyfriend hoping for a marriage with him.”
“Discussing sins and bitterness with my husband…...for his heart to be open and mine to be honest.”
“What is preventing me from experiencing revival in my life is that I do not love my wife the way I should.”
As the week progressed, God began to reveal His desire for us in our relationship not only with Himself, but with others. Below are some of the praises and answers to prayer that we began to see:
“Receiving forgiveness from my husband for confessing past sins against him.”
“For a new husband….a husband who is RUNNING after our mighty God!”
“On Sunday my marriage was very close to divorce (for the second time). I asked for prayer...today we are moving forward together.”
“Before our days I was dealing with a fear of suffering…not a good place to be. With your bold teaching of “Giving myself first to the Lord”…”Giving thanks in all things”…”Forgiveness”…”Proverbs 30 (just enough, not too much, not too little)”...this spiritual feast has been well timed for my soul to break free of the fear of suffering. By following the process of applying these truths, the root of my fear became exposed. I discovered that over my life, unresolved problems of recognizing and dealing with rejection had led to a spiritual idol of self worship with the fruit of insecurity and fear. By applying what I had been taught during these days, a break through happened that has lifted this issue from my spirit. My prayers have been answered. The joy of the Lord has been restored to me and God is rebuilding this individual.”
What a great week/season of seeing God do the miraculous in people’s lives!
Only a couple more weeks, and we will be arriving back in Holland. We are looking forward to some rest and a time to reconnect with family and friends as we prepare for the new ministry season that will kick off in August. Thank you so much for your support in praying for us.
“That I would work through forgiving someone who has hurt me and my family. I know now that I am and have been bitter and I want and desire to be thankful for this situation.”
“To help me release the unforgiveness in my heart toward my mother.”
“A miracle in my marriage, a miracle in my church, a miracle in our world.”
“What is keeping me from revival is hanging onto my relationship with my boyfriend hoping for a marriage with him.”
“Discussing sins and bitterness with my husband…...for his heart to be open and mine to be honest.”
“What is preventing me from experiencing revival in my life is that I do not love my wife the way I should.”
As the week progressed, God began to reveal His desire for us in our relationship not only with Himself, but with others. Below are some of the praises and answers to prayer that we began to see:
“Receiving forgiveness from my husband for confessing past sins against him.”
“For a new husband….a husband who is RUNNING after our mighty God!”
“On Sunday my marriage was very close to divorce (for the second time). I asked for prayer...today we are moving forward together.”
“Before our days I was dealing with a fear of suffering…not a good place to be. With your bold teaching of “Giving myself first to the Lord”…”Giving thanks in all things”…”Forgiveness”…”Proverbs 30 (just enough, not too much, not too little)”...this spiritual feast has been well timed for my soul to break free of the fear of suffering. By following the process of applying these truths, the root of my fear became exposed. I discovered that over my life, unresolved problems of recognizing and dealing with rejection had led to a spiritual idol of self worship with the fruit of insecurity and fear. By applying what I had been taught during these days, a break through happened that has lifted this issue from my spirit. My prayers have been answered. The joy of the Lord has been restored to me and God is rebuilding this individual.”
What a great week/season of seeing God do the miraculous in people’s lives!
Only a couple more weeks, and we will be arriving back in Holland. We are looking forward to some rest and a time to reconnect with family and friends as we prepare for the new ministry season that will kick off in August. Thank you so much for your support in praying for us.
Friday, May 7, 2010
Trusting in God
"To you, O LORD, I lift up my soul. O my God, in you I trust; let me not be put to shame; let not my enemies exult over me." - Psalm 25:1-2
Our passage for today covers one of the basics of what it means to really live a life of faith in God: "O my God, in you I trust." How's the trust-in-God thing going with you? Because trusting God is really the centerpiece of the Christian life. If you're doing well at trusting God, you're doing great with your faith. If you're not doing well at trusting God, you're not doing so great with your faith.
Here's some good news. Each time we open our Bibles, we are opening a primer on trust. God has given us in His Word everything we need in order to trust Him. Trusting God is a decision. It's a choice that every person has to make. The decision to trust God or not is unavoidable. You will choose to trust or not to trust God - but you will choose.
Think for a moment of life as a car. In that car, either you're driving or God is driving. When you're holding the wheel, you're taking charge. When you're driving, you're not trusting.
But in the Christian life, you get to ride. You are in the car - in the front seat. You get to talk to the Driver. He's interested in your input, but as the trip unfolds, God is the One who's making the calls. God determines where and how fast your life is going. He checks the map and provides the GPS. God is driving. That's the life of trust.
Now how often have you had a series of battles over who's going to hold the wheel? Are you or is God going to hold the wheel? That's the issue of trust. When you and I are trusting at our best, the top is down and it's a sunny day. Everything is going great. But when we're not trusting, there's a wrestling match over the wheel. But God doesn't really fight us for the wheel. I find that every time I grab it, He says, "This won't be great." Yet He doesn't get out of the car. He waits for me to trust again.
James McDonald - Walk in the Word
Monday, March 29, 2010
Running the Race
During this ministry season, we have traveled around the country since September helping people understand what it looks like to live an authentic Christian life and have lived on a different church parking lot almost every week. Now that it’s March, we can’t help but begin to think about summer and being home...reconnecting with family and friends, green grass instead of parking lots, mowing the lawn, cooking on the grill, trying to remember what a normal family schedule looks like.
This summer there are meetings and planning to do for the new ministry season, finishing family sessions that I will be teaching this upcoming season, training of the new team during the month of August, as well as a few home projects (landscaping, painting, etc…). These are the things that recalibrate us to have a more normal life for part of the year.
However, one of the things that “normal life” presents for us is an increase in expenses. Things like: turning the house back on and having to pay for all the utilities (gas, electric, trash, water, etc...), groceries for all our meals (while on the road, the churches take care of most of this for us), gas and insurance for the car, etc…
This summer also brings with it the need for our daughter Elizabeth to start the process of braces. Not having insurance for this requires that all of these expenses be out of pocket. The cost for stage 1 of braces for her is $1,600.
Coming home for the summer increases our costs by $1,000 per month totaling $3,000 for the three months that we are home. Add the $1,600 for the orthodontic work for Elizabeth, and we’re looking at a total additional expense of $4,600.
I am asking God to raise up forty six people to contribute $100.00 to help us be “revived” this summer at home. Would you please be one of those individuals? Our current level of support would not allow us to be home on a regular basis. God continues to provide for our needs and maybe He would use you at this time to help meet this need.
With a grateful heart,
Ben, Jennifer, Christian and Elizabeth.
You can donate online using this link: lifeaction.org/donate/support-a-staff-member
Or if you prefer to donate via check, make your check payable to:
Life Action Ministries (indicate Ben Slenk on the memo line)All contributions are tax deductable and you will be receipted as such.
PO Box 31
Buchanan, MI 49107
Fear the Lord
"Who is the man who fears the LORD?" - Psalm 25:12
What is the "fear of God" anyway? That question might be easier to answer by looking at a rough definition of fear itself. Fear is the attitude of heart that seeks a right relationship to the fear-source. That's pretty straightforward, right? If I fear the future, I might save and prepare. I want to be in a right relationship with the future, so I'm going to do something about it today to make sure the future doesn't steamroll me. Some people don't fear the future. They just go on like fools and drive right over the cliff. But if I fear the future, I prepare. Does that make sense?
If I fear the dentist, I floss and brush! I believe he probably knows more about teeth than I do. And plus, when he gives that judgmental, self-righteous look like, "You haven’t been flossing...." I'm sure you have heard that speech. So, I think, "Oh, I don't want to hear it. I'll floss and brush." Why? Because I fear the outcome of failure. So I seek a right relationship to the fear-source.
What is the "fear of God" anyway? That question might be easier to answer by looking at a rough definition of fear itself. Fear is the attitude of heart that seeks a right relationship to the fear-source. That's pretty straightforward, right? If I fear the future, I might save and prepare. I want to be in a right relationship with the future, so I'm going to do something about it today to make sure the future doesn't steamroll me. Some people don't fear the future. They just go on like fools and drive right over the cliff. But if I fear the future, I prepare. Does that make sense?
If I fear the dentist, I floss and brush! I believe he probably knows more about teeth than I do. And plus, when he gives that judgmental, self-righteous look like, "You haven’t been flossing...." I'm sure you have heard that speech. So, I think, "Oh, I don't want to hear it. I'll floss and brush." Why? Because I fear the outcome of failure. So I seek a right relationship to the fear-source.
- If I fear the future, I prepare.
- If I fear the dentist, I floss and brush.
- If I fear God, I submit.
- If I don’t fear God, I don't submit.
- If I fear God, I do what He says.
Fear - it's not bad, by the way. How many people have heard the definition: "Fear God just means to respect Him?" That was bad teaching. Even though the Bible says like a thousand times that we should "fear God," we are just supposed to believe it means only that we should respect Him? Incorrect! I put a lot of time into studying this biblical term. The best word that I can think of to describe what fear means - is fear! I like simple stuff. When the Bible says to "fear God," guess what it means? It means to fear Him. Seek a right relationship with Him.
James McDonald – Walk in the Word
Saturday, February 20, 2010
Live Web Stream
Join us in 7 days for a live Life Action THIRST conference from Dothan, AL. Together, we'll hear biblical principles that will awaken and revive our hearts. You'll be able to watch the live video feed, participate in live blogs, download the resources, and more. Sign up below, and we'll e-mail you reminders when the live feed is taking place. We hope you'll choose to join us and take the next step in awakening your heart.
Live Streaming Schedule (all times are EST):
Sunday, February 28 (10:30am, 11:45am, & 7pm)
Monday, March 1 (7:30pm)
Tuesday, March 2 (7:30pm)
Wednesday, March 3 (7:30pm)
See www.lifeaction.org for details.
Family Update Feb 2010
Since we left Holland, MI on January 1, we’ve completed six THRIST Conferences (four in Florida, one in Georgia, and one in Mississippi) and are getting ready to start our seventh in Gonzales, LA (tomorrow). We’ve experienced big cities like Miami and small towns like Interlachen, FL, but no matter where we are, people are still hungry to meet with the lover of their souls, Jesus Christ. The southern hospitality is fantastic down here, but where is the warm weather??? Fortunately, there’s been plenty of sunshine to enjoy, and for that we are so thankful!
School is going well for Christian and Elizabeth. They just started studying the Middle Ages in history and just finished life cycles of insects in science. Their curriculum is so full of excellent literature that it’s not unusual for them to read an extra chapter because they just can’t wait until the next day! How fun!
We have a marvelous team this year, and it is a joy to see these young people maturing personally and spiritually. They are all in the process of determining what they will be doing next year, and it will be difficult to say goodbye to the ones who will be moving on to the next phase of their lives. But at the same time, we are excited for what God has next for them.
Hebrews 12:1 says, “Since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles and let us run with perseverance the race marked for us.” In addition to doing that daily in our walk with the Lord, Jennifer and I are endeavoring to literally run with perseverance as we try to stay in shape and regularly exercise. There have been a lot of miles logged either in the neighborhoods surrounding the churches we’re in and many times literally running around the perimeter of the church parking lots. Just last weekend, we ran through the hills of historic downtown Columbus, MS, where we were able to admire the many early 1800’s homes with beautiful architecture and most likely amazing stories.
Coming up in one week week (Feb. 28 – March 3), you will have the opportunity to “sit through” our THIRST Conference in Dothan, Alabama through a live stream on the internet. If you’ve never participated in a Life Action event, we invite you to join us, see what we do, and allow God to use this time in your own life to renew your heart for the Lord. Who knows, maybe someday you too will find yourself living in a trailer on a different church parking lot each week! You can get information regarding this event and the details of the live stream at www.lifeaction.org.
School is going well for Christian and Elizabeth. They just started studying the Middle Ages in history and just finished life cycles of insects in science. Their curriculum is so full of excellent literature that it’s not unusual for them to read an extra chapter because they just can’t wait until the next day! How fun!
We have a marvelous team this year, and it is a joy to see these young people maturing personally and spiritually. They are all in the process of determining what they will be doing next year, and it will be difficult to say goodbye to the ones who will be moving on to the next phase of their lives. But at the same time, we are excited for what God has next for them.
Hebrews 12:1 says, “Since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles and let us run with perseverance the race marked for us.” In addition to doing that daily in our walk with the Lord, Jennifer and I are endeavoring to literally run with perseverance as we try to stay in shape and regularly exercise. There have been a lot of miles logged either in the neighborhoods surrounding the churches we’re in and many times literally running around the perimeter of the church parking lots. Just last weekend, we ran through the hills of historic downtown Columbus, MS, where we were able to admire the many early 1800’s homes with beautiful architecture and most likely amazing stories.
Coming up in one week week (Feb. 28 – March 3), you will have the opportunity to “sit through” our THIRST Conference in Dothan, Alabama through a live stream on the internet. If you’ve never participated in a Life Action event, we invite you to join us, see what we do, and allow God to use this time in your own life to renew your heart for the Lord. Who knows, maybe someday you too will find yourself living in a trailer on a different church parking lot each week! You can get information regarding this event and the details of the live stream at www.lifeaction.org.
Monday, February 15, 2010
Checkup
"Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and they shall become one flesh. And the man and his wife were both naked and were not ashamed." - Genesis 2:24-25
When it comes to the subject of marriage, it's worth taking a moment to think biblically about what's going on in our culture. The state of love is a quagmire. Conditions are worse than they were a year ago and much worse than five years ago. We need to come face-to-face with two giant truths from God's Word about human love.
First, sexuality is God's idea. Human sexuality - as God designed it - is good within the boundary that God established. And that boundary is the marriage relationship. Genesis 1:31 says, "God saw everything that he had made, and behold, it was very good." Genesis 2:25 says that He brought the man and woman together. "And the man and his wife were both naked and were not ashamed." There was no reason to be ashamed. Their relationship was righteous, holy, and part of God's good plan for them. Genesis 2:24 says, "A man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and they shall become one flesh." So a man and a woman together - physically, sexually, intimately - is pleasing and honoring to God. Marriage is part of God's provision for the welfare and happiness of a man and a woman for a lifetime together. It's the way He wants it and the way He created it! Hebrews 13:4 says, "Let marriage be held in honor among all, and let the marriage bed be undefiled." Intimacy between a man and a woman, committed together under God for a lifetime, is righteous. But the verse goes on to say, "God will judge the sexually immoral and adulterous."
The second truth about human love from God's Word is that sexual sin is personally damaging. Today over half of all first marriages are preceded by living together, compared to virtually none fifty years ago. Extramarital affairs are rampant in our society. One of the by-products of this of course is sexually transmitted diseases, which have almost doubled in America in the last decade.
Author Jim Nelson, speaking of the fall of great civilizations - Egypt, Carthage, Greece, Rome - said, "The collapse of society begins each time with a period of obvious moral decay."
No one has the moral authority to stand up - apparently - and say, "This is wrong! And it's self-destructive. Sin is destroying people and families." God has lovingly placed boundaries around sexual intimacy and declares it to be holy within the lifetime bond of marriage. He longs for us to honor those boundaries.
James MacDonald – www.walkintheword.com
When it comes to the subject of marriage, it's worth taking a moment to think biblically about what's going on in our culture. The state of love is a quagmire. Conditions are worse than they were a year ago and much worse than five years ago. We need to come face-to-face with two giant truths from God's Word about human love.
First, sexuality is God's idea. Human sexuality - as God designed it - is good within the boundary that God established. And that boundary is the marriage relationship. Genesis 1:31 says, "God saw everything that he had made, and behold, it was very good." Genesis 2:25 says that He brought the man and woman together. "And the man and his wife were both naked and were not ashamed." There was no reason to be ashamed. Their relationship was righteous, holy, and part of God's good plan for them. Genesis 2:24 says, "A man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and they shall become one flesh." So a man and a woman together - physically, sexually, intimately - is pleasing and honoring to God. Marriage is part of God's provision for the welfare and happiness of a man and a woman for a lifetime together. It's the way He wants it and the way He created it! Hebrews 13:4 says, "Let marriage be held in honor among all, and let the marriage bed be undefiled." Intimacy between a man and a woman, committed together under God for a lifetime, is righteous. But the verse goes on to say, "God will judge the sexually immoral and adulterous."
The second truth about human love from God's Word is that sexual sin is personally damaging. Today over half of all first marriages are preceded by living together, compared to virtually none fifty years ago. Extramarital affairs are rampant in our society. One of the by-products of this of course is sexually transmitted diseases, which have almost doubled in America in the last decade.
Author Jim Nelson, speaking of the fall of great civilizations - Egypt, Carthage, Greece, Rome - said, "The collapse of society begins each time with a period of obvious moral decay."
No one has the moral authority to stand up - apparently - and say, "This is wrong! And it's self-destructive. Sin is destroying people and families." God has lovingly placed boundaries around sexual intimacy and declares it to be holy within the lifetime bond of marriage. He longs for us to honor those boundaries.
James MacDonald – www.walkintheword.com
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)