Keeping God on the Throne
In his book, Sex and Money: That Leave You Empty and Grace That Satisfies, Paul Tripp talks about the relationship aspect of sex. I like that he has brought light to the issue of how sex even within marriage can be dangerous and harmful if the motives behind it are corrupt. He gives an example of a husband always expecting sex from his wife whether she wants it or not in that moment. He is treating her like an object of his pleasure that is just disposable to him whenever he wants. Even in the context of marriage, the motive of sex can be toxic.
When we make sex about ourselves and not our partners or God, we are looking at ourselves as in control. We are dethroning God and his perfect image of intimacy through sex. Tripp writes, “I confess that sex is where my ongoing temptation to dethrone God is revealed, controls my world, and writes my own rules for my selfish purpose and pleasure” (Tripp, 63). The topic of sex here becomes bigger than just sex; it is the removal of God from the situation and seeing ourselves as the one in charge.
Kushi Mehta talks about being selfish in relationships in her blog post “13 Sign You Are the Selfish One in Your Relationship”. She warns against wanting to control the relationship, saying, “It is not just your life that you tend to control, dominating all aspects of it, you also do the same with your partner’s life too. Because you equate dominance with power, you think that whatever you decide is the best thing to do” (Mehta).
Controlling your partner, especially in the context of sex, is exemplifying that you think that your needs and wants are more important than theirs. This can become toxic very fast. We live in such a selfish culture that this might seem normal, but the truth is that this want and need for power and control is destroying not only the relationship with your significant other, but also with God.
Craving power and control in relationships is taking God off the throne and showing that you think that you deserve to be there instead. Being selfless in your relationship with your spouse and putting God first is important in keeping God on the throne.
In an article from New Spring Church, Ashley Dansereau lists five practical ways to put your spouse first and start the transformation of taking yourself off the throne and putting God back on it, where he belongs. To read this, hit the link below:
https://newspring.cc/articles/five-ways-to-put-god-first-with-your-spouse
Works Cited:
Photo by Tima Miroshnichenko from Pexels
Dansereau, Ashley. “Five Ways to Put God First With Your Spouse.” New Spring Church, newspring.cc/articles/five-ways-to-put-god-first-with-your-spouse.
Mehta, Khushi. “13 Signs You Are The Selfish One In Your Relationship.” Bonobology.com, 13 Feb. 2021, www.bonobology.com/signs-selfish-relationship/.
Tripp, Paul David. Sex and Money : Pleasures That Leave You Empty and Grace That Satisfies, Crossway, 2013. ProQuest Ebook Central, http://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/lbc/detail.action?docID=1325546.
