Smooth talk, flattering words, attention, excitement, ego …. What other words can be used to describe the feeling a man has when an attractive woman approaches him? A guy in his mid-40s who has been married for 15 to 20 years with a couple of kids all of a sudden finds that there is a woman – other than his wife – who notices him! Unfortunately, this often stirs something deep inside and the temptation to resist her sweet words goes unheeded. Do many men go out looking to have an affair? I believe more unplanned affairs occur than intentional ones. Ironically, affairs often start out innocently. A man has a female acquaintance that has a difficulty of some sort – financial, children, marriage, addiction, etc. – and he and the woman begin to talk about it. The discussions then lead to lunch, then to more intimate conversations and often culminate in the sexual act itself. What starts out innocently enough ends in sin. I know a guy who was a human resources specialist. A female employee made an appointment to discuss some personal issues with him. The female employee broke down and started crying in his office, he put his arm around her to comfort her, and the counseling session turned into an adulterous affair – even though it only happened once – in his office.
The consequences of committing adultery impact all areas of a man’s life! His relationship with God, his relationship with his wife, his relationship with his children, his relationship with his friends, and his own view of self are impacted. Adultery is wrong in God’s eyes. There is no gray area. Jesus said that if a man lusts after a woman he has already committed adultery in his heart. Then there are the worldly repercussions:
Adultery violates the trust between a man and his wife. There is nothing more hurtful to a wife than to know that the man she loves has had a sexual encounter with another woman.
A father who cheats on his wife is also condemned in his children’s eyes and hearts. Though the child is not ‘violated’, they witness the pain inflicted on their mother and suffer the consequences of the father’s unfaithfulness.
A man who has an affair is no longer trusted by his friends or respected. A man who violates the sacred partnership with his wife is no longer seen as trustworthy by friends who would confide in him otherwise.
A man who commits adultery eventually sees himself for what he is - unfaithful. A man who falls prey to the adulteress loses his self-respect and the pleasure that seemed so satisfying becomes a life-long torment.
A man must stop and ask himself if the temporary pleasure is worth a divorce, the destruction of his family, the hurt that will be inflicted on his family, and other consequences! If a man conducts a trade-off of temporary pleasure versus the loss of a life time relationship with his wife and children it becomes a no-brainer!
Nothing good comes from adultery. Adultery is certainly nothing new. Abraham and Jacob are the first men recorded in the Bible to have committed adultery. There is no instance in the Bible where a man that had more than one woman and had peace! In each instance there were resultant issues. All men – regardless of how ‘strong’ they believe themselves to be – must be on guard at all times. Even King David – a man after God’s own heart – committed adultery. The consequences of King David’s actions were terrible and we should not expect consequences of our actions to be any different.
The Bible warns us over and over to flee from sexual immorality. The warnings are for our physical safety and our moral safety. Physically, it is alarming today at the number of people who are carriers of sexual transmitted diseases. In a major city in the United States, one in every four people has some form of a sexual transmitted disease! Morally, God created sex and gave the gift to a husband and wife to share and enjoy between the two of them. Real happiness comes when we enjoy the company of the spouse that God has given us!
Papa Joe Mac's Commentary:
Smooth talk, flattering words, attention, excitement, ego …. What other words can be used to describe the feeling a man has when an attractive woman approaches him? A guy in his mid-40s who has been married for 15 to 20 years with a couple of kids all of a sudden finds that there is a woman – other than his wife – who notices him! Unfortunately, this often stirs something deep inside and the temptation to resist her sweet words goes unheeded. Do many men go out looking to have an affair? I believe more unplanned affairs occur than intentional ones. Ironically, affairs often start out innocently. A man has a female acquaintance that has a difficulty of some sort – financial, children, marriage, addiction, etc. – and he and the woman begin to talk about it. The discussions then lead to lunch, then to more intimate conversations and often culminate in the sexual act itself. What starts out innocently enough ends in sin. I know a guy who was a human resources specialist. A female employee made an appointment to discuss some personal issues with him. The female employee broke down and started crying in his office, he put his arm around her to comfort her, and the counseling session turned into an adulterous affair – even though it only happened once – in his office.
The consequences of committing adultery impact all areas of a man’s life! His relationship with God, his relationship with his wife, his relationship with his children, his relationship with his friends, and his own view of self are impacted. Adultery is wrong in God’s eyes. There is no gray area. Jesus said that if a man lusts after a woman he has already committed adultery in his heart. Then there are the worldly repercussions:
A man must stop and ask himself if the temporary pleasure is worth a divorce, the destruction of his family, the hurt that will be inflicted on his family, and other consequences! If a man conducts a trade-off of temporary pleasure versus the loss of a life time relationship with his wife and children it becomes a no-brainer!
Nothing good comes from adultery. Adultery is certainly nothing new. Abraham and Jacob are the first men recorded in the Bible to have committed adultery. There is no instance in the Bible where a man that had more than one woman and had peace! In each instance there were resultant issues. All men – regardless of how ‘strong’ they believe themselves to be – must be on guard at all times. Even King David – a man after God’s own heart – committed adultery. The consequences of King David’s actions were terrible and we should not expect consequences of our actions to be any different.
The Bible warns us over and over to flee from sexual immorality. The warnings are for our physical safety and our moral safety. Physically, it is alarming today at the number of people who are carriers of sexual transmitted diseases. In a major city in the United States, one in every four people has some form of a sexual transmitted disease! Morally, God created sex and gave the gift to a husband and wife to share and enjoy between the two of them. Real happiness comes when we enjoy the company of the spouse that God has given us!