DURING THE LAST TWO WEEKS⌛⌛⌛⌛ OF MY SECONDARY SCHOOL DAYS, A TEAM OF SEMINARIANS from one of the foremost Catholic Seminaries in Nigeria came to my School on “Vocation Week”. During the visit, they spoke to us Catholic students on what it takes to become a Priest. You have to study Philosophy, Metaphysics, etc. It was a fine lecture and, sincerely, I was “moved” and seriously contemplated becoming a celibate priest. Some of the things that stirred my interest included the attire of the Seminarians. They were dressed in immaculately white cassocks that flowed to the ankles. And some of them spotted Afro Hair🧑‍🦱🧑‍🦱🧑‍🦱🧑‍🦱🧑‍🦱 just like the “Jackson Five” Brothers. Remember, this was 1976, when “The Jackson Five”🎻🎸🪘🥁🎤🕺 were reigning and Michael Jackson🕴🕴🕴 hadn’t yet gone solo.

Contrary to all my expectations, however, my interest in the Priesthood turned out to be shallow and fleeting as it evaporated within two weeks or even less. One of my classmates who heeded “the call” and went on to the Seminary later returned after completing the Major Seminary training. He didn’t go on into the Priesthood either. He must have realized that he wasn’t cut out to be celibate the rest of his life.

In our anchor scripture for today, St Paul, as candid and blunt as ever, makes it clear that both Celibacy and Marriage are PROPER GIFTS OF GOD and that each person is endowed with one or another of the two.
This means that nobody is given both gifts, so there’s nothing like “CELIBOMARRIED LIFE”.

Being a celibate Apostle who greatly loved and enjoyed the unmarried life, St. Paul wished that ALL MEN would choose celibacy! He however, recognized the fact that Celibacy is a GIFT of God just as Marriage is equally a GIFT of God. He didn’t elevate one above the other.

He concludes by giving us one thing that serves as A CLUE to determining which of the two is your gift:

“BUT IF THEY CANNOT CONTAIN LET THEM MARRY: FOR IT IS BETTER TO MARRY THAN TO BURN.”(1 Corinthians 7:9)
What is Apostle Paul saying in the verse above? He is saying: if you know that you cannot comfortably, restfully and permanently live the sexless life that’s a must in the celibate life, then don’t choose celibacy but marry; because it’s better to marry than to be celibate and yet aflame with the FIRES 🔥 🔥 🔥 🔥 🔥 🔥 OF LUST, LASCIVIOUSNESS AND EVIL CONCUPISCENCE !!!

Dearly Beloved, you’re reading Lovebirds’ Devotional right now because you’re married. As a Bachelor or Spinster, you had the opportunity to choose to be celibate but realized that you weren’t cut out for such and so found a life partner and got married. It means you realized that Marriage is God’s proper gift and calling for you!

In view of your choice, it becomes necessary that you live the married life responsibly, dutifully, faithfully, enthusiastically and WITH ALL YOUR HEART. There’s no room for behaving as if someone somewhere forced you to get married. This needs to be said because some behave like that in Marriage. They act and talk as if they did not really intend to marry but just did their Spouse a great favour in marrying them.
They behave like a Turkey or Peacock, raising the feathers and puffing up in Pride whenever their Mate touches them or verbally requests for Sex. They coldly and reluctantly respond, saying something like: “This woman, you have come again with your disturbance. I know you are looking for Kisses and the other one again. Every time you want it. Me, I can even stay for six months without all these nonsense!” So your Spouse’s desire for their matrimonial rights (1 Corinthians 7:1-5) is nonsense? So what God ordained to be had in Marriage between Man and Wife to renew, consolidate, strengthen and fortify their marriage covenant as well as protect them from the widespread epidemic of sexual immorality and it’s countless attendant dangers is now nonsense?

But what says the Word of God? It says:
“MARRIAGE IS HONOURABLE IN ALL AND THE BED UNDEFILED”(Hebrews 13: 4a). Marriage is a high estate of Honour in the sight of God. So the kisses, embracing, touching, hugging, fondling, cuddling, caressing and the sexual intercourse in marriage, with all the amorously melodious music of the glorious moanings and queefings are all HONOURABLE and UNDEFILED! Infact, going by the divine evaluation of Genesis 1: 31 they are VERY GOOD!!!

On the day you rejected celibacy and chose to be married, you chose all that go with Marriage, which are all honourable and pure. So putting up a laughable “holier than thou” attitude in the bedroom is nothing short of pharisaical pretentiousness and it stinks!! Such behaviour aren’t just wrong but try to make of none effect the Word of God just like the traditions of the Jewish elders eclipsed the Word of God in the days of Christ(Matthew 15:6B)

How will your Marriage be the sweet and romantic life as God designed it to be when you kick against what God’s Word commands to be practiced in it?

As St. Paul taught in our anchor scripture passage for today, Marriage is a proper gift of God. This also means that every aspect of it is a proper gift of God and a blessing.

There’s nothing like “CELIBOMARRIED LIFE” where you are partially celibate and partially married. Therefore be a FULL-TIME LOVER to your Spouse. Be ever ready, in season and out of season, to faithfully render matrimonial services to them when ever they need you.

🔥🔥🔥FAITH DECREE:
🔥 LET THE GRACE TO FUNCTION AS A ZEALOUS, EVER READY MARRIED LOVER BE GRANTED EVERY READER OF TODAY’S DEVOTIONAL PIECE!⚡⚡ ⚡

🍷🍗 TAKE-HOME LESSON: MARRIAGE IS YOUR PROPER GIFT AND CALLING.
BE AS
JOYFULLY DEDICATED AND DEVOTED TO IT AS ST. PAUL WAS TO HIS GIFTS AND CALLING AS A CELIBATE APOSTLE!

💕❤ TODAY’S ONE FLESH ASSIGNMENT IN THE BEDROOM
Reread today’s devotional piece together and discuss it.

✍✍✍We’d love to read from you! Our Email address is: ahmananselm1992@gmail.com

📞☎📱 For Calls or WhatsApp Messages: +234 8034675321

💷💷💳💰🪙💸 PARTNER WITH US TODAY!
Send your financial gifts to the account below:
ANSELM AHMAN
2031779689
UBA

⛪⛪⛪ MAXIMUM MARRIAGE MINISTRIES IS AVAILABLE TO SERVE YOUR CHURCH, FELLOWSHIP AND MINISTRY IN LIVE MARRIAGE SEMINARS!

🌹🌹🌹 PLEASE, SHARE TO YOUR SPOUSE AND TO ALL YOUR FRIENDS AND CONTACTS WHO ARE MARRIED!!!
ALSO FORWARD TO COUPLES’ PLATFORMS, WOMEN’S FELLOWSHIP GROUPS AND YOUR MEN’S FELLOWSHIP FORUM.

THANKS !