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Key Bible Verse: I made a covenant with my eyes not to look with lust upon a young woman. (Job 31:1) Bonus Reading: Matthew 5:27–30

He'd waited a long time for this moment—37 years to be exact. Greg had seen all of his friends make the trip down the aisle and sometimes wondered if his turn would ever come. Now it had, and the day was even more special because he knew he could look his bride straight in the eye and tell her he'd saved himself only for her.

It hadn't been easy. At times he'd been sorely tempted. Many of his friends had fallen off the abstinence bandwagon, and Greg had often been mocked because of his virginity. But he'd stayed the course. And now, because he'd maintained his purity, he could stand before his bride and know he'd respected her enough to put his concern for that committed relationship before his own desires.

Bombarded daily by sexual messages in the media, peer pressure, and our own sexual nature, how can we keep ourselves sexually pure? We can monitor what we allow ourselves to be exposed to, avoiding even the mildest pornography, which not only devalues women, it also stimulates us sexually. We can set up boundaries as we begin our relationships with women on a solid foundation of respect, consensus, and trust.

—Bill McCartney in 4th and Goal

My Response: My boundaries with female friends are …

Thought to Apply: Bridle passions, and be yourself a free man. —John Clarke (English pastor)

Adapted from 4th and Goal (Tyndale, 2002) by permission.

Prayer for the Week

Lord, help me trust You to arrange the single or marital state that's Your best for me.

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