Devotional

You shall not commit adultery.

 

- Exodus 20:14

Hopefully, on the day you said “I do,” you were not thinking of committing adultery. Unfortunately, after co-leading a divorce support program at Arcola Church for many years, I have seen many marriages destroyed by adultery. The fallout from adultery causes brokenness, pain, heartbreak, loss of trust and the destruction of the family unit. Yep, the surefire way to secure marital problems is by committing adultery – of course, I think most of us could have figured that out without leading a divorce support group.

God asks us to love him and when we are in a loving committed relationship such as marriage, to love and honor each other. Sure, the line is clear when adultery is a sexual act with someone outside the marriage, but what if it is an emotional relationship? An online relationship? A pornography addiction? Or even an addiction to alcohol, work or something else? We are created for relationship with God and each other. We are taught to honor God and each other. To love someone means to cherish them and it means commitment. If a person chooses to put their energy into something that damages and possibly destroys their relationship, I believe you are committing a form of adultery.

Being married is not always easy. There can be temptations along the way. Be ready. Be strong. Be aware. If you start to develop inappropriate feelings for someone, take action to stop it. Go to your Pastor or a trusted friend and talk about it. Look at the risks — how will it affect the family (not just your spouse, but the children too), your reputation, your job and more? Stop seeing the person or temptation. If you cannot avoid the person you are having inappropriate feelings for, then, try to avoid eye contact, keep your distance and distract yourself from thinking about that person. Stay connected with your spouse – go on a date, have fun together, give them a gift. Pursue your spouse!   

Take your challenges to God – pray! Start praying with your spouse. Go as a couple to a marriage counselor or go independently. Take those vows seriously. Work to stay in love – to nourish and commit.

Prayer:

Dear Loving and Gracious God. Thank you for creating us for relationship. Please guide us in your glory as we commit to each other in marriage. Strengthen us against temptation and encourage us to love and cherish. When we step off the path, lead us back to you. For in your loving presence, we can love better, give to each other, stay focused on our path and commitment to marriage. Be with us now and forever. Amen.

Written by Lisa Korhnak who is the Director of Communications for Arcola Church (she also Directed Arcola's Care Ministry for 7 years). Her goal in working at the church is always to help others feel connected to each other, to God and to feel comfort when times are tough. In addition to her leadership as a director, Lisa is a congregational care minister and lay counselor - providing support to those in need of hope and healing. She and her family (husband, three children and labradoodle) live in South Riding and have been members of Arcola Church since 2005.