Read 2 Timothy 2:22 in your personal Bible or at the link provided.
Review
1. What does Paul call us to run from?
2. What should we run toward instead?
3. Whose companionship should we enjoy?
Reflect
When God made relationships, He established a good and healthy order for the progression of intimacy. Since He created intimacy, He gets to decide the rules for it – not because He wants to hold anything back from His people but because He knows how powerful sex is. Like a fire in a home, handled well it provides warmth and light, and handled improperly, it can cause pain or even burn the house down.
God’s order for intimacy begins with knowing someone and ends with physical touch, but our culture has been telling us that moving touch up the list is an equally good, or even better, way to go about our relationships. God’s Word is clear that this is a recipe for pain. Paul warned Timothy to run from sexual temptation.
There are other temptations that the Bible says you can stand up to, but when it comes to sexual immorality, listen to God’s warning. He tells you to flee from it because He wants to protect you. Learn from Him, the creator of everything, and let Him teach you His better order for intimacy in your relationships.
Respond
How does God’s order for the progression of intimacy compare to what the world teaches? Do you trust that God has your best interests at heart, and why or why not?