Sexually Pure Eternally Grateful

11.28.12

1 Thessalonians 5.18 18 in everything give thanks; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. NASB

In two places in my reading today (1 Thessalonians 1-5) Paul told the Thessalonian Church: this is God’s will for you… First he said, “Finally then, brethren, we request and exhort you in the Lord Jesus, that as you received from us instruction as to how you ought to walk and please God (just as you actually do walk), that you excel still more. For you know what commandments we gave you by the authority of the Lord Jesus. For this is the will of God, your sanctification; that is, that you abstain from sexual immorality...” (1 Thess. 4.1-3 NASB)

Now, I don’t think for a minute that Paul was saying “stay away from sexual immorality, but murder is okay.” No, Paul was saying that God’s will for us is to be sanctified, that is our being set apart for His use and being holy (like Him and unlike the world). Sexual immorality was a big deal back then. The more I read the more I understand that sexual immorality is not a modern blight – we moderns have just come up with more creative ways to do it.

Second, Paul said it is God’s will for [us] to be thankful in every circumstance. If there is one way to pull the plug on grumbling, complaining, whining, and crying, it’s to be thankful. God, thank You, that my boss is an idiot. Thank You, that You are working in me to get rid of my own idiocy by showing me how a pro does it. Thank You, that of all the places in the world I could work, and of all the people I could work for, You’ve ordained that I should work for this idiot. Help me to learn, help me to submit, and help me to be a reflection of Your goodness and grace as I put up with this clown, day in and day out. (I think if we pray that prayer enough times we’ll quit calling our boss an idiot – just sayin’).Thankfulness stops negativity.

Sexual purity honors men and women – when we are sexually pure, people don’t become objects. When we are sexually impure objects don’t become people. The gifts of relationships, and of sex, and of intimacy, are sacred gifts. It was never God’s intention for any person to live like a dog: a creature of instinct, driven and breeding when the wind blows the right direction. We’ve all seen the damage sexual immorality has done (and is doing) to our society.

Gratefulness honors God – it is a means of expressing to God that not only are we grateful for the things we have, but we also acknowledge God as our Source and Supply. It’s God will for us to be thankful in what we consider good things, but also in what we consider bad things. One mode of thanksgiving is definitely harder than the other. Being thankful for a dread disease or the senseless loss of a loved one or friend is tough thanksgiving. There is in those situations a weird blend of God’s will and love and our emotions and affections. Only God can make beauty out of ashes.

God’s will is that we all come to know Him in all of His weirdness (to them) and mysteriousness (to us). Sexual purity and gratefulness are just a couple components of His will for us. But we’ll go a long, long way in our relationship with Him, and with others, if we’ll remain steadfastly pure sexually, and grateful to Him for e-v-e-r-y-t-h-i-n-g (always) in our lives.