“But when the Father sends the Advocate as My representative – that is, the Holy Spirit – He will teach you everything and will remind you of everything I have told you.” (John 14:26 NLT)
As a Jesus follower we are, by virtue of our love for Jesus, a life-long student. Gratefully, we’ve been given the Bible, which we often refer to as the “Word of God,” but the greatest source of knowledge and understanding of what the Bible teaches about Jesus and how to walk faithfully with Him, is the Holy Spirit.
The two most powerful venues through which our learning comes are pleasure and pain. Ironically, for purposes of our walk with God, we learn far more through pain than pleasure. Why do you think that is? Is it because it’s not fun to follow Jesus? It’s a blast, but our most significant adversary is all about pleasure.
Satan is constantly seeking to distort and degrade the pleasurable things God gives us. If I can take off my “spiritual” hat and just speak as a human being, I’ll tell you that sex is the greatest physical pleasure I’ve ever experienced. Notice I said, “physical pleasure.” The most pleasurable sense I’ve ever had as a human being is to be in God’s presence, to live in constant awareness that’s He’s always with me.
So, what does Satan do? He distorts our view of sex by framing it in ways that are dishonoring to God and demeaning to those involved. God’s plan for sex is one man and one woman devoted to Him and to one another in a life-long marriage commitment. Anything less than that is a counterfeit that won’t satisfy long term.
For me the greatest pain and most long-lasting heartache were because of my divorce. The Lord taught me things about marriage, myself, and Him through that heart-wrenching journey that I couldn’t have learned in any other way. Please, if you’re considering a divorce or know someone who is, it’s highly likely there’s a better way.
“Yeh,” you may be thinking, “you don’t know what I’m going through!” And you’re right, I don’t. And if you’re in an abusive relationship please get help. Unfortunately, because of the world in which we live, divorce is sometimes the only solution. But let it be a last resort. Don’t give up on each other if there’s a thread of hope.
But aside from the pain of divorce, being single can seem like it’s God’s greatest punishment, when in fact it may be His greatest blessing. It may sound like I’m speaking out of both sides of my mouth, but I’m not. Marriage is a gift from God, but so is singleness. The Apostle Paul summed it up like this: “I am saying this for your benefit, not to place restrictions on you. I want you to do whatever will help you serve the Lord best, with as few distractions as possible.”
The bottom line for a believer is “What will be most pleasing to the Lord? What will result in the most glory, honor, and praise to my Master?” If our life in Christ is not an act of worship, it’s of little or no value to God. What does that mean? Worship is an act of devotion; a surrender of our will in favor of His; an effort on our part to clarify and declare our allegiance to Christ alone. It’s putting our “yes” on the table before we even know what we’re agreeing to do or be.
It’s to put your name at the bottom of a blank contract, telling the Lord: “Lord, You fill it in however You see fit.” At the end of the day, it’s not whether we experience pain or pleasure, it’s ultimately about what we learned and who was honored and glorified as a result.
Food for thought.
Blessings, Ed 😊
Walking With Jesus 