Daily Bible Reading Plans to help you read and understand God’s Word

Scripture Reading: Psalm 139:13-16, Proverbs 5:15-19, Matthew 5:27-30, Romans 12:1-2, 1 Corinthians 6:12-20, 1 Corinthians 7:1-9, 1 Thessalonians 4:1-8

ity feels a little like walking in a mine field. Too much can go wrong, and it’s too easy to hurt others. But Jesus felt so strongly about how we handle our sexual desires and temptations that He used dramatic, over-the-top language saying that it’s better to maim your own body than for your whole life to be destroyed by a wayward sexual appetite (Matthew 5:27–30). 

As tender of a subject as it is for so many, let’s remember that Scripture begins with God creating people to live an inextricably linked story of soul and body. And He called this very good. We weren’t meant to experience life on a bodily level apart from our soul. Maybe that’s why sex brings up so much—it doesn’t just affect one part of us (1Corinthians 6:16–17). God’s design is that sex would be experienced vulnerably and fully within a marriage relationship, but because of sin, we don’t always experience life the way God intended. Our own experiences, the ones we choose and those we don’t, can bring profound pain instead of joy.

I’m not going to pretend I have the perfect formula of how to avoid sexual sin and scars. When sin came into the world, we all became marked by it in a holistic way, including our sexuality. So chastity is for everyone—not just one gender or one relationship status—for all are called to honor God with our sexual thoughts and behavior. This is God’s grace: Though we are all broken, we are all offered redemption and holiness in Jesus.

Therefore, brothers and sisters, in view of the mercies of God, I urge you to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God; this is your true worship.
—Romans 12:1

The beauty of the gospel is that Jesus stepped into the story of humanity in order to redeem it. God can call us to be a living sacrifice because Jesus was the last and final sacrifice. He afforded us full access to God for those who trust in and follow Him. And Jesus continues stepping into our own stories, redeeming every broken part of our lives and fulfilling the longings we hold to. 

Paul went on to say that this true worship begins in our minds, and so it is with chastity. Chastity is both a practice and a pursuit, what we do and who we are becoming. True holiness enlists our whole self—what we give our minds to will soon be followed by our bodies and our lives. And as Jesus followers, we have the privilege of believing that God has invited us into a life of flourishing, with every part of our lives. 

Sisters and brothers, He made you, you on purpose. He loves you and delights in you. And He has not left us alone, even when we feel we may be. He is with us as we walk by His grace, trusting Him with every part of ourselves. 

EDITED
When the She Reads Truth team assigned me this topic, I was ecstatic. I couldn’t wait to open a fresh Google doc and write about the world’s least awkward subject.

Written by Becca Owens