Thursday, June 30, 2011

My Covenant of Purity…to God (My First Love), to My Number Two, and to Myself

Scripture References

“I have made a covenant with mine eyes to never again look upon another woman lustfully.”—Job 31:1

Daughters of Jerusalem, I charge you by the gazelles and by the does of the field:  Do not arouse or awaken love until it so desires.—Song of Solomon 2:7

Love is patient, love is kind.  It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.  It is not rude [does not dishonor others], it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs.  Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth.  It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.  Love never fails.—1 Corinthians 13:4-8a

We can say with confidence and a clear conscience that we have lived with a God-given holiness and sincerity in all our dealings.  We have depended on God's grace, not on our own human wisdom.  That is how we have conducted ourselves before the world, and especially toward you.—2 Corinthians 1:12

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.  Against such things there is no law.—Galatians 5:22-23

Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the Word, and to present her to Himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless.—Ephesians 5:25-27

“For God is at work within you both to will and to do His good pleasure.”—Philippians 2:13

Marriage should be honored by all, and the marriage bed kept pure, for God will judge the adulterer and all the sexually immoral.—Hebrews 13:4

My Covenant

Lord, I wish to be pure and to preserve holy purity in my life.  Provided below, is my covenant with You regarding my relational and sexual purity:

I covenant with You, Lord, that You are my First Love.  Even if I am blessed to remarry, someday, You will forever remain my First Love.  You are my Life Partner, Jesus.  My love for you far exceeds, and will always far exceed, any love I have for anyone else on earth—PERIOD.

I covenant with You, Lord, that, in any interaction with a woman, I will remember that she is first and foremost Your friend and daughter; furthermore, should I desire to pursue a relationship with such a one, I covenant with You that I will honor her, pray for her, and seek to preserve her purity at all cost.

I covenant with You, Lord, that I will not engage in any sexual activity, outside of holding hands, kissing, or enjoying a loving embrace, prior to or outside of a marriage covenant.  Even though it may be my preference, now, to refrain from kissing until our pastor turns and says to me, “You may now kiss your bride,” such a preference is really just that:  my preference and is not, necessarily, a command from You.  I feel very secure in writing that if the expressions of such affections become really important to me and to the woman with whom I am in love, than, by all means, we will, together, enjoy such expressions.  The foundation for the above will, of course, be love, friendship, respect, and grace—NOT legalistic adherence to man-made rules.

I covenant with You, Lord, that, if—and when (it is hoped!)—I am privileged to remarry, I will love my wife with all that's within me; furthermore, I covenant with You that I will not do anything willfully that dishonors her or harms her or leads her away from You in any way.  As her husband, Lord, I will pray continually for her, seek always to communicate lovingly and honestly with her, and, under the inspiration of Your Holy Spirit, lead her to You in all things...even that which might seem trivial.  In all humility and submissiveness, Lord, I will put her well-being ahead of my very own.  And should we be blessed with children, Lord, she will remain my top priority—my second love—after You.

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