Bible Reflections From Scripture Union Volume OneSample

Obedience Pays Read Leviticus 18:1-30 Keep my decrees and laws, for the man who obeys them will live by them. I am the LORD. Leviticus 18:5 The gay culture has already taken root in Asia. As far back as October 2004 the Far Eastern Economic Review had already carried a special report entitled ‘Gay Asia: Tolerance Pays’. The government of Singapore, we were told, was relaxing its attitude towards homosexuality to attract foreign exchange from gay tourists and to transform the city state into a creative, ideas-driven economy. Everywhere, demands for gay rights are being heard. Christians, however, are to obey God in all sexual matters. ‘I am the LORD your God’ and ‘I am the LORD’ are repeated in this chapter. We ‘must not do as they do’. The prohibitions fall into two broad categories. Verses 6-18 rule out incest i.e. sex with a close relative defined by ties of blood (vs 7, 9-13) or ties of marriage (vs 8, 14-18). Verses 19-23 warn about other forms of unlawful behaviour including adultery, homosexuality and bestiality. The sanctity of the family must be preserved. Obedience will be rewarded with ‘life’ (v 5). Disobedience incurs judgment. Human history bears this out. Anthropologist J. D. Unwin conducted an exhaustive study of 88 civilizations and found that every society that practised sexual permissiveness soon perished. If only Christians would take God at His word, the testimonies of their lives and families will prove to the world that obedience pays. But how can Christians be a light when their compromises have wreaked havoc in their lives and their families lie in shambles? Dear Lord, thank you for the gift of sex. Help me trust Your wisdom and obey You in this areas and areas of my life.