Friday, January 24th: Guest Writer, Mrs. Lois Ormsby

To the Glory of God with Purity – Part 4

“For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and shall be joined unto his wife, and they two shall be one flesh.  This is a great mystery: but I speak concerning Christ and the church.”

~ Ephesians 5:31, 32

From the beginning of time, God intended the marriage relationship to picture His relationship with the church.  Pure, holy, undefiled…and in His wisdom, he chose the physical to be part of that marriage relationship for mankind.  God endorses a physical relationship only within the boundary of marriage – outside of that boundary, He calls it sin.

The way a man and his wife come together is a beautiful thing; it is a means whereby their marriage is strengthened, so long as each of them is walking with the Lord and seeking to please their spouse according to the Bible.  Engaging in the physical relationship outside of marriage, however, is going against God’s commandments.  It is something that people do or desire because of a selfish spirit – whether or not they realize their act is rooted in selfishness.  By engaging in the physical relationship outside of marriage, a person is dishonoring the first thing God ever instituted: marriage.

Notice, girls, that God even uses the word “mystery”.  The way that a man and his wife are to picture Christ and the church is not something that we can fully understand, because we are not God.  We can only be thankful that, one day, as God brings husbands into your lives, God would deem you worthy to be a picture of the beautiful, sacrificial relationship that Christ and the church are to share.

Scripture Reading for the Day:
Proverbs 24
Hebrews 8