Do we think we are smarter than God?

I was talking to somebody today about relationships, specifically male/female relationships.  The discussion basically centered around the idea of sex before marriage.  It has been proven statistically that the majority of women who have sex prior to marriage resent it.  Consider the motivations.  None of it really has the partner's best interest in mind.  It is lust, it is a rationalization that this is normal in our culture or a plethora of other reasons.  However, none of them are really about loving the other person.  In the famous love chapter, 1st Corinthians 13, the Apostle Paul talks to a church that had basically gotten off track and he shares the characteristics of love to help them get back on track.  Paul talks about patience, kindness, long suffering, endurance, thinking no evil and a host of other characteristics designed to help us understand the character of God.  Yet we we engage in the practice of intimacy completely outside of the definitions that He has provided for us.  Instead of it being the epitome of the expression of love, it becomes a selfishly, or at the very best, grossly misunderstood expression of something God created for us. If we are really honest, it is more about satisfying our sexual appetite, not showing love. Why are the chances of divorce higher? Resentment - primarily on the side of the woman because her knight in shining armor was more concerned about satisfying his own 'needs' rather that looking out for her.  Instead of the relationship being a covenant it is converted into a contract. 

-aJesusfollower

Jealosy Is for Kids

In 3rd John, we read about the testimony of a bunch of Christians referred to as children by John the elder.  The information about John is provided to give us perspective.  His title reflects both his natural age and his  maturity in the faith.  In this letter John describes the joy of hearing about the acts of love that people in the church show others.  Then he describes a guy who is basically power hungry and a control freak.  It's very bad that when other people within the church come through, he doesn't allow the people within his sphere of influence to help or interact with others within the church.  He wants to be the king of the hill.  Have you ever wanted to be the person with all the attention?  How about the person that is so protective of position or influence that manipulation is seen as the the way to maintain a sense of power?  The elder, and by extension God, talks to us as His children, and warns us not to behave that way.  Instead, we are encouraged to help, show hospitality, demonstrate love and grow.  A contrast is drawn that demonstrates a good way to live and influence people and a bad way to live and influence people.  The Holy Spirit is a gentleman, and in our quest to be more like Dad, John shows us the attitudes we need to be more like Him.

1 John 9-12

A Jesus follower