Maybe.  If you’re single, Christian leaders like Dr. James Dobson say it’s okay in moderation.  Because the Bible is silent on this issue, we have to take our lead from verses like Jesus’ command not to lust.  But Dr. Dobson draws a distinction between a generalized fantasy and lust over a specific person.  You want to be careful not to let masturbation obsess you and turn you inward.  Plus, the desire to masturbate usually doesn’t magically disappear when you get married.

If you’re married, I recommend against masturbation (unless your spouse is physically unable to have sexual relations with you).  Masturbation will diminish your sex life with your spouse.  When we’re married, our body is not our own sexually, it’s our spouse’s (1 Cor 7).  Focus your sexual energy on your spouse, not yourself.  It’s not easy, but it is good…

What does the Bible have to say about balancing work/financial obligations with placing higher priority (more of our precious time) on things eternal?

The Bible says that we should make eternal things a much higher priority.  We’re going to talk about this some in our August sermon series, Breathe.  This topic can be the subject of an entire sermon series, so I can’t cover everything here.  I do have a few thoughts, though…

1.  If this is on your mind, then God is probably convicting you on this issue.

2.  This is never easy and you’ll need to put some ‘mechanisms’ in place to make this happen.  For example, if you’re not tithing already, decide to give 5% to God, then make your budget work around that.  If you wait until you have ‘enough money’ to tithe, you never will.  Or another example… if you’re having a hard time balancing work and family, decide how many hours you can work in a week and don’t go over.  If you have children in the home, that number is probably no more than 45-48 hours a week, maybe even less.  Unless you design a mechanism that will force you to live by your priorities, you won’t do it.

3.  Try to be in continual motion toward prioritizing eternal things.  The key is not to take giant steps in your life, but consistent and regular baby steps.  You’ll be amazed where you end up in a year or two, if you take CONSISTENT and REGULAR baby steps.

I’d enjoy hearing any other thoughts on these two subjects….

- Ken