Guest Writer ~ "God's Red-Hot Gift!" Part 3

My friend, and guest writer, Carol will continue to paint a picture of "a sensuous wife."

(The following list is taken from Intimate Issues, written by Lorraine Pintus and Linda Dillow.)

1. She is responsive ~ ~ Shulamith whispers longingly in Solomon’s ear: “Make my garden breathe out fragrance, let its spices be wafted abroad. May my beloved come into his garden and eat its choice fruits!” (4:16).

2. She is adventurous ~ ~ At times Shulamith receives sexual pleasure from her husband. Other times she is the initiator, aggressively stimulating her lover through intoxicating fragrances, seductive sights, and the promise of ecstasy. This clever wife titillates her husband by suggesting they take a vacation together in the country and make love outdoors. There among the vineyards, she will offer him old sexual delicacies and new sexual delights (7:11-13).

3. She is uninhibited ~ ~ Shulamith tells her husband where to touch her (2:6 and 4:16). She tantalizes him and entices him (7:1-3).

4. She is expressive ~ ~ Shulamith is verbally expressive: “My beloved is mine and I am his” (2:16). She expresses praise for his masculinity: “How handsome you are, my beloved” (1:16). “Like an apple tree among the trees of the forest, so is my beloved among the young men” (2:3).

5. She is sensuous ~ ~ A sensuous woman is tuned in to her body and the pleasure she receives through her five senses. She delights in her senses. In Song of Solomon 5:10-16, Shulamith gives into her sexuality and thinks about her husband in very sensuous terms. She dwells on his sensuous lips, his muscular shoulders, and strong legs and ends her daydreaming by saying: “His mouth is full of sweetness. And he is wholly desirable” (5:16).

No doubt about it, Shulamith was a sensuous, sexual woman, and God describes her sensuousness in explicit terms. God wants us to understand the beauty and freedom of our sexuality. Through the young bride Shulamith, God unveils the portrait of a godly, sensuous wife and, because His blessing was upon her, we can follow her example with confidence.

If you are thinking, I could never be like that, don’t be discouraged. God does not expect us to become sensuous saints overnight. He asks instead that we go forward in becoming the lovers He created us to be. Christian women should be the greatest lovers on earth because as believers, we not only possess physical passion, we have the ability to infuse holiness into our sensuousness.”

If a new beginning is what you want, you can start today, this very minute. Change can happen, but the change does not start in the bedroom—it starts on your knees. A change in action comes directly from a change in attitude, and that begins when you talk to Jesus. Pray Romans 12:1-2 back to Him.

Therefore, I urge you, (sisters), in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual act of worship. Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is—His good, pleasing and perfect will.

Guest Writer ~ "God's Red-Hot Gift!" Part 2

My friend, and guest writer, Carol continues to show us there is much to say about sex. And (perhaps) much we have not heard... Do you see yourself as a sensuous, sexual, AND GODLY woman? Perhaps you did not think it was “okay” to be sensuous? Or maybe you thought you could not be sensuous AND godly at the same time.

Probably most would agree sex is a gift from God. But how many give themselves permission to actually revel in the sensuous pleasures of married love? Perhaps in your mind the two do not go together. If you polled a group of women gathered for a Bible study, and ask them to describe a godly woman, you would probably hear things like, “A godly woman is submissive.” or “A godly woman fears the Lord.” or “A godly woman looks like the Proverbs 31 woman.”

They are all good answers, but the list is not complete unless you include “A godly woman delights in physical intimacy with her husband.” We are spiritual and sexual beings. And the union of these two is very powerful in Song of Solomon.

(The following is taken from Intimate Issues, written by Lorraine Pintus and Linda Dillow.)

“In the middle of Solomon and…Shulamith’s steamy, sensuous lovemaking, a third Person enters the room. Tenderly the Almighty Creator looks down on the two engaged in physical pleasure and says, “Eat, O friends, and drink; drink your fill, O lovers.”

God was there. And He urged them to feast and drink abundantly of the pleasure He had created for them. Maybe you're saying, ‘I can give myself permission to go deeper in my sexuality because I see that this is part of who God created me to be. But I don’t know how that translates practically. What does a godly sensuous woman look like?’” Solomon’s bride gives us a wonderful glimpse at that very thing.

We will further study our "sensuous wife" example from God's Word on Monday. See you then.

Guest Writer ~ "God's Red-Hot Gift!" Part 1

My friend Carol is passionate that women walk in the truth of God's Word, and she doesn't pull any punches when sharing it. I invite you to have "ears to hear" what God has to say on this hot topic. Caution, it may be a little different than what your momma taught you...


God’s Red-Hot Gift is SEX, of course! But I am sure you knew that by the title, right?

When was the last time you stopped and thought about this incredible invention of God’s, and that He created it strictly for us to enjoy and take pleasure in? God has declared that His “Red-Hot Gift” of sex in the covenant of marriage was designed to bring us abandoned pleasure and intimate oneness with our husbands. Further still, to enjoy it using THE MANUAL on SEX, the Bible, will lead us to a sexual experience that is totally satisfying and downright awesome! When it comes to God’s advice about sex, I would say the Bible is hot!

Song of Solomon is a beautiful book in the Bible that describes King Solomon’s courtship, wedding, and early years of marriage to Shulamith. And it is graphic! And the treasures in this story are worth digging for. Shulamith is a biblical example of a sensuous AND godly wife. Often during the book, she pulls out a treasured memory of moments spent with Solomon and she relives it. She thinks about him, her lover, in very sensuous ways. Listen to these beautiful words of hers from Song of Solomon 5:10-16.

My dear lover glows with health—
red-blooded, radiant!
He's one in a million.
There's no one quite like him!
My golden one, pure and untarnished,
with raven black curls tumbling across his shoulders.
His eyes are like doves, soft and bright,
but deep-set, brimming with meaning, like wells of water.
His face is rugged, his beard smells like sage,
His voice, his words, warm and reassuring.
Fine muscles ripple beneath his skin,
quiet and beautiful.
His torso is the work of a sculptor,
hard and smooth as ivory.
He stands tall, like a cedar,
strong and deep-rooted,
A rugged mountain of a man,
aromatic with wood and stone.
His words are kisses, his kisses words.
Everything about him delights me, thrills me
through and through!
That's my lover, that's my man,
dear Jerusalem sisters.

WHOA! Did Scripture just let us eavesdrop on Shulamith fantasizing about her husband? YEP! God is not only giving you and me permission to dwell on our husbands in this way, He is encouraging it.

If you are brave enough, join me again on Thursday as we look closer at Shulamith, and what we can take away from God’s manual on sex, THE BIBLE!