Sex isn’t the answer. That should be obvious by now, but in our adolescent culture we can’t seem to grasp the obvious, so we suffer the consequences. Like a drug addict who keeps going back to the stuff that’s killing them, we chase romance as if it’s religion and desirability as if it’s a virtue. It’s not just men who buy the lie but women as well, vainly imagining that there is real power in allure, and so we cultivate our appearance to that end. But it’s a road to nowhere, both now and forever.

The Bible says, “It is God’s will that you should be sanctified: that you should avoid sexual immorality; that each of you should learn to control his own body in a way that is holy and honorable, not in passionate lust like the heathen, who do not know God; and that in this matter no one should wrong his brother or take advantage of him. The Lord will punish men for all such sins.” (1 Thess 4:3-6).

Dear friend, the truth is that sex is a glorious gift God gives to deepen the love between a man and a woman in the context of the marriage covenant, not a cheap narcotic to be binged in the self-indulgent pursuit of thrills. Grow up, for crying out loud. How long are you going to act like a child and expect to enjoy the freedom of maturity? You weren’t made for sexual immorality, you were made for God, and the part of you that is eternal cannot subsist on lust. You need more.

So please take note of the warning at the end of the passage – when we give ourselves to sexual immorality it’s not an exercise of freedom, it’s a crime against the soul of everyone involved. You can pretend otherwise, but it’s just pretend and God isn’t fooled. Maybe you’ve been going with the flow, playing marbles with diamonds and never admitting that this river of carnality runs right off a cliff. If so, let me encourage you; repentance isn’t a burden, it’s a gift, and everyone who dares it discovers as much.

I’ll see you on Sunday. Be true!

This week’s Church Corner was written by Greg Daulton of Mount Rainier Christian Center.