TIGER WOODS, A TEACHABLE MOMENT: Breaching Sanctity of Marriage Impacts Many (Bill Keller in Eastern Time, available for national radio or TV)
Adultery: In biblical days it was the wayward woman who was stoned. Today there appears to be little payment by man or woman for breaking their marriage vows.
Currently there is a news feeding frenzy on the alleged extra-marital affairs committed by Tiger Woods. Whether this is true or not, this is a teaching moment that breaching the sanctity of marriage impacts many, not just the adulterer.
Conducting Talk Show interviews on this topic is moralist, ethicist, evangelist Bill Keller, founder of LivePrayer.com, a daily religious devotional with 2.4 million subscribers.
Evangelist Keller contends that the world has gotten somewhat numb to marital morals and thus to moral scandals. Bill wrote a column on this topic to encourage couples to stay faithful to their God-given spouse. See column below the Keller biography.
ABOUT BILL KELLER…
Crowned the next big thing in mass media religion by the news media, Pastor Bill Keller has hosted the only live call-in faith and values-based program airing nationally on major secular television network affiliates for nearly six years. Live Prayer with Bill Keller is now seen exclusively on the internet, Monday through Friday from 11 PM to midnight EST on Liveprayer.com. The program is also simulcast on Tampa's 50,000-watt WWBA-820, and is being syndicated nationwide on other major secular radio stations.
Live Prayer deals head-on with issues ranging from divorce, homosexuality, abortion, sexual abuse, pornography, drug addiction, radical Islam, race relations, spousal abuse, false prophets, and various other issues from a conservative, biblical worldview. Unscripted and unedited, Live Prayer is a fresh and totally spontaneous approach to problem solving. Launched in 1999 by Keller, LivePrayer.com has become the most successful online faith outreach in history. Since its inception, LivePrayer.com has responded personally to more than 60 million online requests for prayer. Additionally, Keller's Live Prayer devotional is received daily by over 2.4 million email subscribers, making Keller's devotional one of the most read e-communications worldwide.
TIGER WOODS AND THE HIGH COST OF ADULTERY
By Bill Keller
Tiger Woods and the high cost of adultery. It has come to light in recent weeks that one of the most recognizable people on the planet, golf phenom Tiger Woods, has had numerous extra-marital affairs. Woods, since he came on to the golf scene in his teens has always maintained a squeaky clean image of wholesomeness. He has surrounded himself with the best handlers who always positioned Woods as the epitome of excellence on and off the golf course. Five years ago he married a former Swedish model, Elin Nordegren and the couple have a daughter and son together. They have always been promoted as the ideal family.
Sadly, things are not always the way public relations firms present them. It has come to light that Woods, a hero to millions, has another side to his light the cameras never saw, being involved with at least a half dozen women during his marriage. The sad reality is that he will buy the silence of the other women, keep his marriage intact with a new pre-nup worth several hundred millions along with what the fallen basketball star Kobe Bryant described as a "house on a finger," the exorbitant diamond he gave his wife after his infidelity. Tiger will go back to winning golf tournaments and most people won't even care. However, all his money, all of his victories, all of the lawyers, will never change the fact that Woods committed adultery and will pay a huge price in many other ways.
This story is a great reminder to men and women who are cheating on their spouses, SIN HAS A PRICE. Sometimes you will pay the ultimate price for your sin. While you think you are getting away with your sin, never forget God is watching. In the end, is it worth the cost? Satan is so crafty as he entices men and women to sin. It looks so attractive. It looks so perfect. He knows your weaknesses. He will give you all the justification you need. Once you give in, all of a sudden the bill for your sin starts to come in. It is like getting a $5,000 water bill, or a $12,000 electric bill. Satan is only going to laugh at you when you complain about the price!
Would you be concerned if your husband or wife read your Emails or Instant Messages? What about listened to your phone calls? What about if they knew every place you go each day? How about the places you go when you are out of town? Would you worry if your husband or wife heard a tape of all the conversations you had each day with people of the opposite sex? For those who are still reading, you either have no problem being this open with your spouse or you are now under great conviction and God is speaking to you today.
For those who have no problem being this open with your spouse, praise God! A marriage centered in Christ should include this type of openness and transparency. With Christ at the head of your life and loving and honoring your spouse as the Word calls for, there is no reason you should be afraid to allow your spouse to read your emails or Instant Messages, listen to your phone calls, know exactly where you are at, or hear any of your conversations with people of the opposite sex. I pray that you will continue to love and honor your spouse so that you can always be this open and transparent.
For those who are under conviction by these words today, this could be the very tap on the shoulder from God that will keep your marriage from ending in divorce. Satan is very subtle in how he destroys marriages. No marriage ends in divorce overnight, but over time. One of the chief ways people open the door for satan to come in and destroy their marriage is in their relationships with people of the opposite sex. If your heart began racing as you read those questions, if you know deep down you would never want your spouse to read your emails or Instant Messages, hear your phone calls, know exactly where you are at all times, or hear a tape of the conversations you have with people of the opposite sex, please hear what God is saying to you today. It may very well save your marriage!
Nobody wakes up one morning and decides to become an alcoholic. They have a few drinks, it becomes part of their life, and over time they get into bondage to alcohol. Nobody wakes up one morning and decides to become a drug addict. They experiment with drugs occasionally, begin to use them more frequently, and over time they get into bondage to drugs. It is the same thing with someone who is in bondage to food, shopping, gambling, making money, sex, or any other type of bondage you can name. A person doesn't get into bondage to anything overnight, but over time.
This is also how relationships outside of your marriage develop, over time. You get friendly with someone of the opposite sex at work, you see them every day, you make sure you spend some time with them every day, talk to them every day, you start to develop that elementary school crush and fantasize about them, pretty soon you create opportunities to have lunch with them or see them after work, and during this process the conversation turns from work to your personal lives and often to sex. One thing leads to another and one day you and your co-worker are in bed together.
Even if this relationship never culminates in having sex together, never forget that Jesus said if you lust in your heart you have committed adultery. You are giving someone else the emotions, feelings, and attention that should ONLY be given to your spouse. When you got married, that is the person God gave you for the rest of your life to pour all of your emotions, feelings, love and attention into. NOBODY ELSE! That is the person who God gave you to enjoy sex with. NOBODY ELSE!
Satan's new lie to people that there is really nothing wrong with carrying on a relationship with someone "online." The reality is, you begin to pour your heart, emotions, and feelings into this person you are having the online relationship with just like if you were with them in real time. Ultimately, in most cases it actually does evolve into meeting in real time and ends up being no different than any other extra-marital affair. It all started so harmlessly. A few innocent emails and Instant Messages that became more frequent, more personal, more sexual in nature. The next thing you know you are actually sitting side by side with this person.
Again, even if this relationship never culminates in having sex together, never forget that Jesus said if you lust in your heart you have committed adultery. You are giving someone else the emotions, feelings, and attention that should ONLY be given to your spouse. When you got married, that is the person God gave you for the rest of your life to pour all of your emotions, feelings, love and attention into. NOBODY ELSE! That is the person who God gave you to enjoy sex with. NOBODY ELSE!