The Pure Way

"How can a young person stay on the path of purity?

By living according to your word."

Psalm 119:9

I rush through my morning rituals, standing before the mirror as a thousand thoughts cross my mind. I've got to remember to pick up the light bulbs for Dad.  I wonder if my sister is feeling okay today.  Lord, help my friend in her time of greatest need.  I apply moisturizer as more thoughts flow.  How will Dad take the news of this disease that ravages his mind?  Will he comprehend?  I wonder if I should follow up with the furnace repairmen?  It seems a week is ample time to order and receive the needed part.  As if on auto-pilot, the brush comes out, makeup applied, scarf tied around neck.  I walk out of the bathroom without the slightest clue as to how I looked.  I could have toothpaste smeared on my chin and food stuck in my teeth.  I stood before the mirror but didn't even see myself, so distracted was I.

This is often the same as it is for me when I read God's Word.  I go through the motions, skimming the words on the page but not letting them sink in, resisting the nudge of the Holy Spirit as He points out a passage here, a word there.  What does it mean?  What message is God speaking to me?  How does He want me to respond?   I don't take the time to discover because I'm ready to move on to the next thing.  I'm not paying attention, so distracted am I (James 1:22-25, 2 Timothy 3:16-17).  

Yet this Book that I hold in my hands is the key to pure living.  I may think it is impossible in such an age as this, to live purely in a corrupt world, but in Christ, there is a way.

Intentional.  One of my favorite memories of growing up is inner-tubing down the river during the summer time.  It felt like such an adventure as my friends and I floated downstream, letting the current take us.  But if we only floated along, not paying attention to the eddies drawing us into a maddening whirlpool, or the fast-moving flow that seemed the safe way yet battered our heads under unyielding branches every time, we often got into trouble.

It's the same with my faith-life.  If I just float along, letting the current of public opinion, or common beliefs, or popular thinking carry me along, I'll soon find myself in a vortex of meaninglessness or swept away on a dangerous-yet-common route.  If I am to live in a way that honors the sacrifice Christ made for me, I must deliberately live purposefully to do as He says.  As I study God's Word, then, I must listen to the still, small voice of His Spirit and heed His warnings, yield to His guidance, and let Him have His way instead of me stubbornly insisting on mine.  As I sensitively walk with Him, I will not break His law as I find my desires have been supernaturally brought into alliance with His (Galatians 5:16-18).

In order to resist the drift into worldly mindsets that corrupt God's best for me, I will need to live intentionally.

Wholehearted.  It's easy to hold out on Jesus.  I love Him and want to follow Him, but there are areas of my heart that I make off-limits to Him.  I think I'm dedicated wholly to Him, until He points out the fact that I crave the affirmation of man, or that I still cling to my desire for comfort above commitment, or that there is still that issue of fear of exposure that I expertly hide in my heart.

I can trust Jesus with my entire heart.  He will not hurt me, use me or exploit my pain.  Instead, He has my best interest at heart and will lead me along as a good shepherd does, with God's glory coupled with my welfare in mind.  It boils down to me dedicating myself to the person of Jesus Christ.  Nothing more.  Is He my greatest desire?  Do I realize He is all that I need?  Am I content with Him alone?  If I were to be stranded on a desert island, do I really get it that making Him my one possession would guarantee me complete happiness?

In order to live purely in a dark and sinful world, I will need to completely give myself over to Jesus.

Guarded. "Truth is for our protection."  The words pierced like a beacon through the darkness.  My friend's wisdom resonated deeply.  In order to stand firm in His best for me instead of giving in to what seems better, I must be rooted in the truth of God's Word.  To keep from being swept away by the words that sound good to my itching ears, I must be able to discern the deceptive teaching are not from my Father (2 Timothy 4:3).  If I want to stay on the rocky path that leads to life, I will need to know the fallacies of the tempting wide, smooth, well-traveled road (Matthew 7:13-14). 

God's Word can serve as my weapon against the deceitful attacks of the Enemy (Ephesians 6:13-18) .  As he pelts my armor with lies and temptations, I can fight back with the truth that does damage to his wily schemes.  If I don't know the truth found in scripture, however, I'll be taken over by the relentless assaults of Satan.

In order to stand firm in such a topsy-turvy world against an enemy that constantly tries to trip me up, I will need to use my sword to guard my faith.

It may seem impossible to live virtuously in such a dark world, but it is possible.  Through faith in Jesus Christ, it is vital that I live intentionally  in order to resist the drift, to avoid the temptation to hold out on Jesus, and to use God's Word to protect me from attack.  In these ways I'll be able to walk the pure way!

As I begin this day it is my prayer that I can live on purpose instead of just letting life happen.

When do I hold part of me back from Jesus, attempting to restrict His access to my heart?

How am I afraid of letting Him fully in?  How is this fear a kind of stronghold that guards me from the loving approach of my Father?