Six weeks ago we began a study of the valuable contribution that young people can and are making to the cause of New Testament Christianity and how we as adults should respond to their efforts. Today is post number seven.
“Flee also youthful lusts: but follow righteousness, faith, charity, peace, with them that call on the Lord out of a pure heart” (2 Timothy 2:22).
Purity. It is such an enigma to so many people. Their inner self tells them that it’s somewhat important, but everything in the world tells them something different. Of course, instead of accepting the guidance of their conscience many are happy to indulge in the pleasures of sin for a season and at the same time compromise their purity.
Paul told Timothy that as a young Christian he could have an immense impact upon those around him if he would be an example of the believers in purity. Committing himself to the principles of purity would distinguish him from the world around him and make him the peculiar person that God had called him to be (1 Peter 2:9).
However, like virtually any other area of Christianity in our lives, purity is not something that we establish and then leave to itself. Purity is an ongoing process. We have to give attention to it everyday. And the second we let our guards down is when we invite corruption into our lives. So what can we do to maintain pure hearts before God?
- Consider it. We never say or do anything that we don’t first think about. Jesus said, “out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaketh” (Matthew 12:34). So it would naturally follow that to live a life of purity we need to constantly be thinking about purity. It should be an ever-present attitude that we carry with us. “Finally brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things” (Philippians 4:6).
- Commit to it. I’ve always heard it said that to effectively react to a situation we have to decide how we will react before we get into the situation. For example, for a person to resist the temptation to drink alcohol it would be best for them to decide they won’t drink long before they face the temptation. When we make the decision to serve God and commit our lives to purity every decision that could potentially impact that purity is already made. After that it’s just a matter of sticking to those decisions (Joshua 24:15).
- Carry it with you wherever you go. One of the great obstacles to purity is environment. At times we hypocritically maintain purity while at other times we abandon it. Sure we project purity when we’re at church or around our families, but when we’re with our friends, teammates, or coworkers it’s a different matter. That’s not really purity. True purity is consistent. It’s not a matter of reputation. It’s a matter of character. Carry it with you so instead of just being known as pure you are pure.
I think back throughout my life and thank God for the examples of purity that I have known. – examples that have encouraged me to try to maintain personal purity. They are such a contrast to those I remember who had abandoned any sense of morality long ago and in the process were trying to drag everybody around them down as well. It was their example that has profited me in the same way that I hope my example has in some way served as a profit to others. Be a blessing to others. Be an example in purity.
-Andy Brewer
great lesson, thank you