Two tragic days stand out in my memory. One was the day of President Kennedy's assassination. Hearing the news of his death was like being struck with an emotional sledgehammer that pounded spikes of grief, fear and confusion into this 14-year-old boy's heart. I'll never forget that day.Twenty-five years later another day brought news that pierced my heart. No visible bullet was fired. There was no assassin at whom I could vent my anger. There was only the word that a hero of mine had fallen. His spiritual influence had been tarnished by adultery. I was nauseated when the news came, for I had drunk deeply from the well of his writings, his preaching and his life.
I've pondered over the growing number of Christians who have lost their marriages, families and ministries due to sexual infidelity. How many more will fall before we make an effort to "affair proof" our marriages?
Here are a few suggestions:
1. Make your marriage bed your priority. Don't let your daily work lead you to bedtime exhaustion, the great zapper of passion.
2. Talk together about what pleases one another, and what doesn't.
3. Add the element of surprise to your marriage bed. Caution: It might be good to "ask permission" before cooking up something that may be offensive to your spouse (see Rom. 15:1-7).
4. Be patient with your mate. This area of married love and commitment demands that we continually grow and learn about one another (see 1 Thess. 5:14,15).
5. Beware of bitterness. Keep short accounts and ask forgiveness when you fail or if you have become bitter (see Eph. 4:26,27).
Vonette Bright, wife of the president and founder of Campus Crusade for Christ, says this about sex: "It's just as important to be filled with the Holy Spirit in bed as it is in witnessing to another about Jesus Christ."
You probably have not been asked this question in a devotional recently: Why not turn out the lights early tonight?