🥰🥫😊🧡In Matthew 19:4–5, the Bible says:
“4 And he answered and said unto them, Have ye not read, that he which made them at the beginning made them male and female,
5 And said, For this cause shall a man leave father and mother, and shall cleave to his wife: and they twain shall be one flesh?”
🐌Marriage is summarised in the six-letter word “CLEAVE.” It is cleaving that makes spouses one flesh. And, as we can all see, CLEAVE is a verb—an action word.
🐝And what is the primary means of physically cleaving to each other in marriage? The hands!
🐙With the hands, spouses touch, hold, embrace, hug, caress, fondle each other, and so on. And at the very heart of the “acts” of cleaving to each other is sexual intimacy.
🥰🥫😊🧡YESTERDAY’S DEVOTIONAL
In yesterday’s devotional, we tried to show, both through the imaginary story of a visit to Eden and through the commentary on it, that in the first marriage, the couple’s lives and living were saturated with romantic interactions, which, of course, were primarily facilitated by the hands.
🥰🥫😊🧡A TOUCH-BASED RELATIONSHIP
Marriage is a touch-based union.
🐠Outside the bond of a legitimate marriage, touching a member of the opposite sex is strictly forbidden by God. That is why St. Paul wrote to the Corinthians, saying, “It is good for a man not to touch a woman” (1 Corinthians 7:1b).
🐟But in marriage, touching each other is not just good and permissible; it is vital, critical, and imperative. You need to touch each other several times in the course of the 24-hour day, as much as opportunity and time allow. In yesterday’s devotional, we saw that this is a common practice in Brazil, Puerto Rico, and even France.
🪼Unfortunately, many spouses think it is a mark of decency, discipline, or spirituality to rebuff their mate when they touch them outside the time of sexual intimacy. Some even reproach their partner, saying something like, “This is all you know from January to December—touching me and pulling at my derriere/arm. When will you grow up and stop all this nonsense of touching, touching, and touching? Maybe you think you’re getting younger, but you’re not!”
🦐Some have even given their mate a violent push that landed them on the concrete floor just for touching them in their own home. It’s sad.
🥰🥫😊🧡SOME IMPORTANT INFORMATION
Sir/Ma, you need to hear this. According to relationship experts, regularly touching each other non-sexually keeps marriages healthy and strong.
🦋Isn’t that heartening?
🐦🔥Now, what constitutes non-sexual touches? They are all the affectionate and romantic touches that take place outside the time of sexual intimacy.
🦃Physical contact in the form of touching, hugging, embracing, kissing, etc., leads to the release of oxytocin, which helps build trust and emotional closeness between spouses.
🦭The importance of touch, caresses, embraces, and hugs as they relate to spouses’ emotional health cannot be overemphasised.
🥰🥫😊🧡AS HUMANS, AS SPOUSES
Studies have shown that, as humans, we all need four hugs a day for survival, eight hugs a day for maintenance, and twelve hugs a day for growth.
🐬So, taking time to hug, embrace, kiss, and have bodily touch with each other a number of times in the course of the day is not a mark of indiscipline, carnality, or worldliness. It is making a necessary and crucial physiological investment in your mutual health and the health of your marriage.
🦈The acts of touching, hugging, and embracing each other support the immune system, reduce stress, encourage sleep, and have no side effects. They recharge you instead.
🥰🥫😊🧡THE DEVIL WORKS SO HARD
Now, can you see why the devil works so hard to keep spouses apart? He knows the tremendous health and other benefits that come from spouses touching each other freely.
🥰🥫😊🧡CONCLUSION
It is improper for you, as a married couple, to live like mere co-tenants. You are covenant lovers; therefore, live as such.
🦅Practise all you have been taught in yesterday’s devotional and today’s.
🐪Let your union be saturated with affection, passion, and romance, and you will both be stronger, healthier, and happier for it!😊🧡
💕♥️🩷Tonight’s Bedroom Assignment:
Re-read this devotional together just before bedtime and discuss it with open and sincere hearts.
✝️Altar Call: Jesus Christ is calling you! Come to Him today in genuine repentance. Believe in Him and be saved!
🌡️🧪⚗️Scientific Info To Boost Your Marriage:
🔬”Bananas are rich in potassium, which lowers blood pressure and improves blood flow by reducing the effects of dietary sodium.
They also provide vitamin B6 and quick energy, helping to reduce fatigue during intimacy.”🔬
🎷🪘🎙️🪗 HALLELUJAH!
📢PRAISE THE LORD!