Yet another commercial interrupts your favorite TV program. A scantily-clad model fills up the screen, hawking the latest and greatest beverageÖ or is it clothing? Another ad screams the praises of an evening sitcom that appears to be based almost entirely around the sexual escapades of its protagonists. Sex is everywhere. No matter whether we're at work, school, or home, it's impossible to escape society's message that sex is hot, hot, hot.

Even so, the messages we get from our culture about sex are mixed and confused. To some, the sexual urge is something to be indulged at every opportunity. To others, sex is the greatest marketing tool in the history of commerce. Still others say that sex is shameful, something to be shunned. Is it any wonder, in the midst of these contradictory signals, that people find it difficult to know exactly what to think of this most strange and marvelous of human activities? Out of this chaos of conflicting opinions, one fact emerges: people around the world are terribly confused about how to understand their sexuality.

Fortunately, there is an answer to our questions about sex and sexuality. The Bible sends us a clear message about sex: that it is a gift of God to be fully enjoyed within the context that He has provided. God created men and women as sexual beings (Genesis 2:23-24) meant to experience the joy of sexual intimacy within the holy relationship of marriage (Hebrews 13:4). There is beauty and holiness in a sexual life lived in accord with God's will. What a tragedy that our perception of sex has become so often distorted! Let us thank our Creator for the gift of sexuality, and ask Him to help us mirror his selfless and pure love in the way we conduct ourselves as sexual creatures.