God’s Design for Marital Intimacy - Crosswalk PLUS Marriage Devotional
God’s Design for Marital Intimacy
By: Alicia Searl
The husband should fulfill his marital duty to his wife, and likewise the wife to her husband. The wife does not have authority over her own body but yields it to her husband. In the same way, the husband does not have authority over his own body but yields it to his wife. Do not deprive each other except perhaps by mutual consent and for a time, so that you may devote yourselves to prayer. Then come together again so that Satan will not tempt you because of your lack of self-control. 1 Corinthians 7:3-5
Paul addresses the church of Corinth as they must have had some misconceptions about love and intimacy, especially regarding the beautiful exchange in a marriage. However, you would think that with a God of love who defines it for us so well in the Bible (1 Corinthians 13:4-7, Colossians 3:14, 1 John 4:8, John 3:16, etc.), there would be no doubt in our minds as to how to love each other. After all, we can only love because He first loved us (1 John 4:19).
Yet, just as the first Christians struggled to love well, we still have this inability to show love and partake in intimacy in a way that honors our God today. Why do you think that is? Well, as you may have likely already guessed, the fallacies and false accusations we often hear and even entertain about love, passion, and intimacy come from the author of lies and confusion himself. The one that detests Godly love and intimacy and wants nothing more than to destroy it at all costs with any means possible. That’s because the enemy knows that if he can get us to believe lies about love, he can sway us into believing all kinds of untruths about the sanctity of marriage.
As believers, we need to take this very seriously and mustn’t get sucked into all the twisted distortions about love and intimacy that quickly get tossed about in our society. It starts by guarding our hearts and minds by feeding our souls truth so that we can love our spouse in a way that pleases God.
So, what is God’s design for our marriages when it comes to love and intimacy? According to His Word, marital love in God’s way is built upon four principles.
1. Submission (Ephesians 5:21).
2. Servant-heartedness (Ephesians 4:32)
3. Selflessness (Colossians 3:18-19)
4. Sacrifice (Romans 5:8)
As we love one another in this way, God is sanctifying us to become more and more like Christ, all the while giving us a glimpse into His unwavering and unfailing love. However, that is not all He does! Because we serve a gracious God, He also gives us special gifts in this one-of-a-kind union. A purposeful partnership that creates a pathway to parental authority (if that is His will for our marriage) and passion.
In 1 Corinthians 7:3-5 Paul is telling us that God designed us in a way to build intimacy through sexual expression with our spouse. Intimacy and sex are one special way a husband and wife can be vulnerable, bond, and create a safe place to serve one another. This special interaction should be mutual, intentional, and regular, welcoming passion through prayer. God not only invented sex, He gave it to us as a gift to enjoy and find pleasure, allowing us to feel “oneness.”
Prayer:
Father, we are so grateful that You provide for us a plan and precious purpose for our marital love in Your Word. Please soften our hearts to submit to You first and foremost, then serve one another in love with selflessness as we sacrifice our needs and provide for the needs of our spouse. Help us love as You call us to and offer our bodies to one another in a way that takes advantage of the beautiful gift that You graciously give us as husband and wife. We love you and ask for blessings over our union. Amen.
Discussion Points:
Do you feel your love and intimacy is built around God’s truth or being captivated by the world’s standards?
Are intimacy and passion mutual, intentional, and regular in your union? If this is an area of improvement, start a discussion today on how to make this a priority so the enemy cannot gain a foothold in your marriage.
We hope you and your spouse are challenged and encouraged by today's devotional! For more of this premium marriage devotional, visit here.
