Are all curse words equally sinful (with the understanding that all sin is weighted equally), or is cursing that involves taking God's name in vain more offensive to God than others?  Is this considered blaspheming God?

Sincerely,
Clean Mouth

Dear Clean Mouth,

All cursing is corrupt speech, but using the Lord’s name in vain is corrupt speech and blasphemy.  Eph 4:29 tells us to avoid all corrupt speech.  We need to avoid any and all language that sounds filthy or derogatory – this would include all swear words.  However, using the Lord’s name in vain is corrupt and irreverent.  God tells us to revere Him (Heb 12:28).  All sin will equally send you to hell (Rom 6:23), but there is an attitude of disrespect behind using the Lord’s name in vain that is especially troublesome.  The word ‘blasphemy’ means ‘to speak evil of’.  When we use God’s name as a cuss word or exclamatory term, we demote Him in our minds from the lofty position He deserves.  All our speech needs to be both clean and reverent, so that God’s name is spoken well of amongst His people (1 Tim 6:1).

I am a teenager, and I believe that I am in love with my boyfriend. Because I am religious, my boyfriend understands that I cannot have sex until marriage, and he respects that.  But I have a question about what we are allowed to do.  We kiss and hug.  But sometimes, we perform sexual acts, such as touching and rubbing.  I am not sure if such acts are sinful.  I am worried about committing something bad that I am unaware of.  What should I do?

Sincerely,
Hands Off?

Dear Hands Off,

There is a difference between romantic acts and sexual acts… and sexual acts are for marriage only.  There is a line between a gentle kiss of affection and a lustful kiss of sexual appetite.  Until marriage, it is important that you and your boyfriend avoid lustful situations altogether.  Paul told Timothy to “flee youthful lusts” (2 Tim 2:22), and 1 Thess 4:5 warns against the “passions of lust”.  Don’t defile the beauty of the marriage bed (Heb 13:4) by jumping into lustful activities before your vows.  The reason you are so worried is because you know what a dangerous and emotional game you and your boyfriend are caught up in.  You are playing with fire.  If you do get married, there will be many blissful and happy years to enjoy each others’ physical attentions… and if he isn’t the one, you won’t later regret keeping yourself pure for your husband.

If my husband finds a job in Wyoming, and my life and family is in the state we live now, should I go with him?

Sincerely,
Change Of Address?

Dear Change Of Address,

A husband and wife are a family unit that has to be prioritized above all other family relations.  God commanded that when a man and woman married, they were to leave their families and become one flesh (Gen 2:24).  You and your husband must decide together where your life goes, and as a christian wife, you have a responsibility to follow your husband (Eph 5:22).  Hopefully, he will have a loving attitude to consider your wishes before relocating (Eph 5:25), but regardless of whether he does his part… you must fulfill your obligation before the Lord.  When you made your marriage vow, you and your husband decided to pursue a life together – wherever that life might take you.

5 minutes a day
5 days a week
1 New Testament in a year

There are 261 weekdays in a year, and there are 260 chapters in the New Testament. By reading one chapter, Monday through Friday, you will read the whole New Testament by the end of the year. The Daily Cup series is to help with that goal.

Happy Studying!

"The LORD is my chosen portion and my cup." -- Psalm 16:5

Click here for a pdf of the study schedule - CLICK HERE

      Why does God only "heal" invisible health problems?  I mean, people pray for recovery and healing for underlying, invisible, systemic diseases, but God doesn't make the blind whole, restore lost limbs, cure diseased teeth, or reverse genetic mutations.  Why would we think God is working behind the scenes on "quick recovery" or spontaneous healing of unseen health conditions if we know for a fact He doesn't heal physical ailments for which there is no modern cure?

Sincerely,
Give Me A Doctor

Dear Give Me A Doctor,

What do you mean by “unseen”?  There are plenty of cases when people have had diagnosable forms of cancer that are physically seen through scans, and God has healed the person through prayer.  There have also been many cases when people have been blinded, made lame, paralyzed, etc., and modern science has said that they won’t see, walk, or move again… only to have those people prove them wrong.  The news is constantly sprinkled with human interest stories about people being healed from diseases and unimaginable physical trauma in unseen ways… the news talks about how baffled the doctors are, but it leaves out God.  However, within those stories, you often find very prayerful people who give credit to Him whom deserves it.
It is true that God doesn’t work in miracles (‘miracles’ being defined as ‘visible, supernatural events’) the way He has at other times in history, but that doesn’t mean He isn’t at work.  If you’d like to know why God works in unseen versus visible ways, read our post “Three Cheers For Miracles”.