The most nerve wracking part of building a house has got to be when the building inspector comes. We’ve never built a new house, but I have been a part of a couple of building projects in churches, and building inspector day was always a nervous day, because he would always find these things that didn’t fit with code.
When you build a house, there are standard building codes you must follow. These building codes protect your family from things like tornadoes, earthquakes, and hurricanes. They insure your house doesn’t burn down from shoddy electrical work, or that all your possessions aren’t ruined when sloppy plumbing floods your house. You can sleep peacefully at night knowing that your children won’t succumb during the night to noxious fumes from the heating and air system. The building codes may make it a little more difficult to build a house, but they are designed to insure that your house will be good and reliable and safe.
Likewise, God has certain building codes for building a home. These are standards that help insure that our marriages are happy and healthy. Remember, marriage is God’s idea. He knows best how it works. He knows what leads to the most long lasting and most intimate relationship. Not only that, but sex was God’s idea too. Yeah God! Not Hollywood’s. Not Hugh Hefner’s. Not Harlequin’s. It’s God’s idea. God’s not against sex. He’s all for it. He’s for great sex. That’s why he’s given us a standard building code, because he knows that only a relationship built according to code will be able to enjoy the intimacy and complete sexual fulfillment that he truly intended. He knows that when we build outside of code, it leads to nothing but hurt and brokenness and heartache. Oh, it’s great it the short run, but it never lasts.
That’s what happens when you build outside of the building code. The house looks great at first, but come back two years later. The siding is coming off. The paint is peeling. There’re cracks in the foundation and wall. God doesn’t want you to just have great sex for one night, or for one hormonally charged affair. He wants you to have it for the whole journey.