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God's wisdom on a matter is all the wisdom we need. If you want to know if a thing is edifying or not, look in His Word.
For instance, some people say that when they first laid eyes on their intended spouse, it was “love at first sight.” I’m certain that can happen. It did with Adam when he saw Eve and exclaimed, “Bone of my bone, flesh of my flesh!” (Gen 2:23)
And when Abraham’s servant brought Rebekah to Isaac for a wife, there was no hesitation on their parts to immediately become one in marriage. It was love at first sight.
But then we have King David who, when he first laid his eyes on Bathsheba was filled with lust. And we all know how that one went down. Her honorable husband Uriah paid the ultimate price for that seductive act. Bathsheba also became pregnant through their lustful encounter and lost her child, sending David into deep depression for what he had done.
And we read of Samson, whom God favored and gave him great strength to protect his people. But Samson had a habit of letting his lust control him and went after worldly women of beauty. He was captured in the end, mutilated and kept as a slave for the rest of life. And ultimately, he begged God to give him back his strength one last time to get revenge upon his enemies and taking his own life as well.
There are unclean spirits, which get past our blind spots and seduce us, or cast a spell over our senses. Seduction causes sudden elation, an emotional high, and plays upon our vanity until lust takes root. Lust is selfish ambition, “I want what I want!” When lust takes hold, it controls you, you don’t control it.
Love, on the other hand does not seduce. I Corinthians 13 shows us what love is:
Love is patient.
Love is kind.
Love does not envy.
Love does not boast.
Love is not proud.
Love does not dishonor others.
Love is not self-seeking.
Love is not easily angered.
Love keeps no record of wrongs.
Love does not delight in evil.
Love rejoices with the truth.
Love always protects.
Love always trusts.
Love always hopes.
Love always perseveres.
Love never fails.
I John 4 tells us to try (test) the spirits to see if they are of God or not. We need to discern if something is giving honor to God or playing upon our own vanity or lust. Lust controls us, love liberates us.
Now, before we go off in a huff thinking God doesn’t want us to have any fun, please re-read what Adam said to Eve and what Isaac did when he saw Rebekah for the first time. God created love and marriage and intimacy for us. Marriage is an illustration of the oneness between Christ Jesus and the church, His bride. It’s a great mystery, a beautiful gift of ecstasy between a man and woman in marriage. It gives us a glimpse of the reality of Jesus Christ as Almighty God. A perfect example is John 20:28, where we read how Thomas looked upon Jesus after the resurrection and finally knew Him and exclaimed, “My Lord and my God!”
For instance, some people say that when they first laid eyes on their intended spouse, it was “love at first sight.” I’m certain that can happen. It did with Adam when he saw Eve and exclaimed, “Bone of my bone, flesh of my flesh!” (Gen 2:23)
And when Abraham’s servant brought Rebekah to Isaac for a wife, there was no hesitation on their parts to immediately become one in marriage. It was love at first sight.
But then we have King David who, when he first laid his eyes on Bathsheba was filled with lust. And we all know how that one went down. Her honorable husband Uriah paid the ultimate price for that seductive act. Bathsheba also became pregnant through their lustful encounter and lost her child, sending David into deep depression for what he had done.
And we read of Samson, whom God favored and gave him great strength to protect his people. But Samson had a habit of letting his lust control him and went after worldly women of beauty. He was captured in the end, mutilated and kept as a slave for the rest of life. And ultimately, he begged God to give him back his strength one last time to get revenge upon his enemies and taking his own life as well.
There are unclean spirits, which get past our blind spots and seduce us, or cast a spell over our senses. Seduction causes sudden elation, an emotional high, and plays upon our vanity until lust takes root. Lust is selfish ambition, “I want what I want!” When lust takes hold, it controls you, you don’t control it.
Love, on the other hand does not seduce. I Corinthians 13 shows us what love is:
Love is patient.
Love is kind.
Love does not envy.
Love does not boast.
Love is not proud.
Love does not dishonor others.
Love is not self-seeking.
Love is not easily angered.
Love keeps no record of wrongs.
Love does not delight in evil.
Love rejoices with the truth.
Love always protects.
Love always trusts.
Love always hopes.
Love always perseveres.
Love never fails.
I John 4 tells us to try (test) the spirits to see if they are of God or not. We need to discern if something is giving honor to God or playing upon our own vanity or lust. Lust controls us, love liberates us.
Now, before we go off in a huff thinking God doesn’t want us to have any fun, please re-read what Adam said to Eve and what Isaac did when he saw Rebekah for the first time. God created love and marriage and intimacy for us. Marriage is an illustration of the oneness between Christ Jesus and the church, His bride. It’s a great mystery, a beautiful gift of ecstasy between a man and woman in marriage. It gives us a glimpse of the reality of Jesus Christ as Almighty God. A perfect example is John 20:28, where we read how Thomas looked upon Jesus after the resurrection and finally knew Him and exclaimed, “My Lord and my God!”
