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Monday, October 29, 2018

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Ephesians 4:32—5:8
Psalm 1:1-4, 6
Luke 13:10-17

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dirty jokes

"As for lewd conduct or promiscuousness or lust of any sort, let them not even be mentioned among you; your holiness forbids this." —Ephesians 5:3

As long as they don't commit adultery or fornication, many people feel they have done all right. Yet the Bible tells us to be pure as Jesus is pure (1 Jn 3:3), not even to look lustfully (Mt 5:28) or mention sexual impurity. So much for dirty jokes and the vast majority of TV programs and commercials.

The Lord considers our bodies temples of the Holy Spirit. He's the Owner of our bodies, including our sexuality, because He paid for them with His blood (1 Cor 6:19-20). However, He generally does not exercise His right of ownership over our bodies. Rather, He calls us to freely offer our bodies to Him as living sacrifices (Rm 12:1). Jesus wants your body and calls you to purity. He loves your body so much He will raise it from the dead, glorify it, and take it to heaven to be in touch with His Body forever.

Our bodies can be clean and fly away, or they can be dirty and earthbound. Let Jesus love your body. Give your body and sexuality to Jesus.

Prayer:  Jesus, I repent of sexual sins. Take away the guilt. May I be pure and feel clean.

Promise:  "Should not this daughter of Abraham here who has been in the bondage of Satan for eighteen years have been released from her shackles on the sabbath?" —Lk 13:16

Praise:  Peter asked the permission of the father of the girl he was interested in dating before asking her.

Reference:  (For a related teaching on Sex, Speech, and the Risen Life, order, listen to, or download our CD 4B-3 or DVD 4B on our website.)

Rescript:  †Most Reverend Joseph R. Binzer, Auxiliary Bishop, Vicar General of the Archdiocese of Cincinnati, May 3, 2018

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