Do not deprive one another—except when you agree for a time, to devote yourselves to prayer. —1 Corinthians 7:5
Someone in Corinth was brave enough to write the apostle Paul an awkward letter. We know that because 1 Corinthians 7 opens with “Now in response to the matters you wrote about.” Paul answered with instructions for sexual intimacy between husbands and wives.
The challenges of treating “one another” like Christ calls us to don’t stay in public spheres. They follow us into our most vulnerable conversations and behind closed bedroom doors. At all times, in every arena, God calls us to surrender our selfishness and to prioritize the needs of others above our own. In marriage, that means we remember God’s command to “love one another” and refuse to allow the gift of sexual intimacy to ever become a weapon.
The Word of God isn’t a buffet. We don’t get to pick and choose what applies and what doesn’t. We don’t selectively choose whom we love, honor, and encourage. Instead, we ask the Holy Spirit to empower us to love the “one anothers” in public and behind closed doors.
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Living Out the One Anothers of Scripture: A 30-Day Devotional ©2020 Revive Our Hearts
Scripture taken from The CSB
Make it Personal
Ask the Lord to reveal any area where you’ve decided loving the “one anothers” is optional.