Friday, May 9, 2014
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It's a big deal when a child can finally start buying gifts with his or her own money. I remember one of the first gifts I was able to buy for my mother. It was a corsage for Mother's Day. I was doing this all on my own. I was so proud. I saved up my allowances, and I rode my bike about six blocks to the florist. I picked out these two carnations. I still remember - one pink, one white. And I made sure they put that little plastic bumble bee in with the flowers. And then I got on my bike and I held the white box on my handle bars. I was so proud of this gift, and then I hit a bump. In one very depressing moment, that white box went flying off the handle bars in front of my bike and I ran over it. So there I was, this forlorn little guy, bike on the ground, looking very sadly at my gift with a tire mark right down the middle.
I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "Don't Run Over Your Gift."
Our word for today from the Word of God comes from 1 Thessalonians 4. I'll begin reading at verse 3. It says, "It is God's will that you should be sanctified;..." That means to be kept special and reserved for special purposes. "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." Now notice the sequence here. Stay special. You do that by avoiding sexual immorality-sexual sin-and you do that by controlling your passions.
See, God has given you this unique gift to give to the person you commit your love to for a lifetime-your husband or wife. And there's no greater joy than to present that gift to your permanent lifetime partner. God is saying here, "Stay special. Don't ruin your gift." Take it from the boy who ran over the gift that he wanted to be special. It really hurts when you ruin it.
If you're in a position to influence young people about sexual purity, use the approach God uses-a positive morality. Not a negative, condemning one. It's all about the beauty of the gift of sex, not the dirtiness of it. It's too good to ruin. And you ruin it when you open it early or you run over it. The best of sex and the best of love are reserved for those who keep it special.
And if you're single and you're facing the pressure to have sex outside of marriage, assume God had you tune in today. He's whispering two words in your heart to build your morality on, "No regrets." What might give you some short-term sense of relief or closeness or even love will give you a very long-term sense of guilt and loss. See, you can only give your purity for the first time - one time.
When I was bringing home that corsage I made a fatal mistake. I valued the gift, but I balanced it precariously on the handle bars. You can't decide to keep your gift of sex special and keep flirting with losing it. You've got to avoid being alone with somebody you care about for any length of time. You've got to keep the small expressions of physical affection special so you don't rush up that ladder. Remember, "no regrets."
You say, "Well, Ron, I've already run over the gift." Don't believe the lie that it doesn't matter what you do now. It does. Here's great news. 1 John 1:7, "The blood of Jesus Christ, God's Son, purifies us from all sin." In Joel 2:25 He says, "He will restore the years the locusts have eaten." Bring your sexuality; bring your sexual sin to the Lord, and let Him purify you and let Him begin to restore your spiritual and emotional virginity.
See, when you understand what a priceless, irreplaceable gift God gave you in the gift of sex, you commit yourself to keep it special. And if you've never experienced the wonderful, spiritual shower of knowing you have been forgiven by God for every wrong thing, every dirty thing, every sinful thing you have ever done, the place that happens is at the cross where Jesus paid for what you wish you had not done; for every sin of your life.
Today you say, "Jesus I'm Yours." And He comes into your life and erases every sin of your life from God's Book. Let it happen today. Let me help you with that. Go to our website today. ANewStory.com.
It hurts a lot to ruin a valuable gift, so hold it close. Don't balance it on the edge. It will be worth the wait when you present that unspoiled gift to your lifetime love.