The Sports Illustrated Swimsuit edition...
Just a few minutes ago I was going to the Sports Illustrated website and I was promptly greeted by a video of one of the swimsuit models wearing a bikini. Did I immediately hit the back button and get out of the webpage? Well, I missed the back button a time or two ( 
)but yes, I did get out.
)but yes, I did get out. For years now, after football season ends... during the month of February, Sports Illustrated produces a swimsuit issue. I've been getting S.I. for years and they have had the swimsuit issue for years. Granted, the material the swimsuits are made of has shrunk some over the years.
The reason the swimsuit issue comes out every year is because sex sells. Yeah, I said it... sex sells. You know it and I know it. Turn your tv on and you are confronted by sexuality. Pick up a news magazine and at times, the newspaper and you are confronted with the fact that sex sells. Watch a movie... most of them at least and you discover that sex sells.
I don't think the church and us ministers are dealing with this as we should. We are often kind of reluctant to deal with this subject. Maybe we are concerned some legalistic church member is going to hit us over the head with their big black K.J.V. bible when we talk about sex.
Recently a young man was talking with me about his struggle with lust. He asked if it was wrong. I said
I then said, "You are a man, aren't you?"
He replied, "yes sir."
I said "we all struggle with it." We see a beautiful lady and... well.. we recognize that she is beautiful. My guess is women do the same thing... when they say a handsome man. We are human. There's nothing wrong with recognizing someone is beautiful or handsome. It's wrong when we move beyond that in our minds.
Sports Illustrated produces the swimsuit issue because it sells.
Playboy is in business because sex sells... Same with other porn magazines.
What should Christians do about it? I think we need to get our heads out of the sand and deal with it.
God invented sex. God meant for sex to be good. Man has distorted and perverted sex. We need to open the Bible and deal with texts that deal with sex... we need to do it openly... transparently and honestly. Our youth need to hear it... Our young adults need to hear it.
Several months ago, I was leading a Wednesday night Bible study. I was talking about the temptation of lust. I used the example of a beautiful lady walking in a room or a handsome man walking in a room and the thoughts we have when that happens.
An elderly lady said "You are going to have pick up some other examples for us old folks!" lol
Another elderly lady said "Speak for yourself!"
Sex is an issue we all deal with. God made sex and meant it for good.
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