1 Corinthians 6:19-20 (NIV)Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your bodies. Genesis 1:27-29(NIV) So God created mankind in his own image,in the image of God he created them; Romans 12:1-2 (ESV) I appeal to you therefore, brothers by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.

 I Love all of these verses as it relates to how we should see ourselves and how we should treat our selves and the ones we love.

To my sons I say, you are growing up maturing before my eyes daily. Sometimes I get emotional, I get scared as a mother because I want you both to be the very best that you can be. To grow up respectable gentlemen in society, respecting yourselves and others, especially girls. Men that your peers will want to emulate. I have always encouraged you to not let the world influence your actions but instead that you both should know yourselves and act according to what the Bible and God dictates.

The message I am trying to relay today is that as young people  before you start engaging in sex always remember 1 Corinthian 6 :19 where it pointedly speaks about your body being a temple of God of the Holy Spirit. It is not your own, your body belongs to God and therefore should be used to his glory. Its so unfortunate that our flesh/minds tells us differently  and we do not see ourselves as such. God instituted sex for a husband and wife to become intimate with each other and to bond.  Not for a boyfriend and girlfriend. Not for a one night stand as is a dangerous norm in society today . God placed his blessings on the union of marriage and for us to treat it accordingly.

My sons please do not defile your bodies by doing things that are contrary to God’s expectations, always think and treat your bodies as the temple of God.

I came across a website recently where a husband and wife team shared that they did not even kiss before getting married. Some might think this as extreme but it is not – it’s a decision that they made which eventually made the wife have more respect for her husband. I certainly was impressed, I will not go into that story but you can read it here. This situation approached from a wordly point of view may say they are crazy, unreal etc but that is the WORLD. Romans 12:2 tells us Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind. So do not accommodate the world’s thinking and act according to the world. That’s a road leading nowhere and we are very aware of  who rules the world …  instead once again , know yourselves and develop your own standards, standards that are based on Christian principles. How are you going to keep God close to you, how is he going to exist in you, in a body that is unclean and immoral?

 Nothing is greater than you both finding a girl that you like and having respect for her enough to say, lets have a healthy relationship based on mutual respect and standards.  Standards that reflect questions such as where you both want to be in life and what it is going to take to get there.

Not having sex  before marriage is the greatest standard that can be implemented before hand in a relationship. It’s the greatest thing that two people can decide, that is what God wants, that is what he expects.

It might be difficult because your feelings will be evident and very much present; but as with anything in life if you decide that this is my standard for a relationship and you submit it to God, he will see you through. Treat your body as holy, treat her body as holy,  casual sex is not  cutting it and can lead to so many other things, there is no meaning to it. When you find the girl you truly want, the girl that you truly love you will experience sex the way that it is supposed to be experienced in an intimate way and a fulfilling way.

It will be God’s way.