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?           

Boundaries

"These are the boundaries around

the people of Judah

by their clans."

Joshua 15:12b

The land was wide open, theirs for the taking.  They could have settled anywhere, taking their pick of the land.  God, however, is a God of order and He determined for each tribe to have their own distinct allotment.  With clear, well-defined boundaries, each clan member knew what belonged to him; there was no question.

The same is true for me today.  While I've not been given land, I do have benefits that come with responsibilities, and there are clear boundaries of which I must observe.

Love

I tried to love her but her words cut deeply, wounding my heart and offending my pride.  I wanted to show compassion for her difficult situation, but her complaining and negativity turned me off.  There were times when this woman pushed me to the edge, tempting me to react in anger.

I have a friend who is difficult to love.  As a follower of Christ, I read in God's Word that my life is to be a testimony to the love of God.  (Mark 12:34)  The world that is watching will know I belong to Him because of the love I show to my brothers and sisters.  Even more, though, is the expectation that I love all the unbelievers God places in my life.  (Mark 12:31)

In my ignorance, then, I set out to love out of my own effort.  I think that if I try hard enough, I can conjure up some compassion as I put myself in the shoes of another.  Or, I believe I can respond in kindness to those who treat me like yesterday's rubbish if I simply try to look beneath the harshness to see the hurting heart.  Sometimes I even foolishly think I am able to reach out to help those in need without expecting any kind of acknowledgment for my efforts.

Not surprisingly, I find my own compassion, kindness and desire to help runs dry as I continue in my own strength.  If I don't find an outside source, the shallow well of inferior love that is found in my own heart will come to an end.  God is that Source.  He is love, and His love is perfect.

When my family and I first moved into our current home, we hadn't unpacked our household goods.  Since we had a newly planted tree in our front yard, I needed to give it water each day to help it adapt to its new home and to encourage strong root growth.  Unfortunately, I hadn't found the hose yet so I used a bucket to supply the life-giving water to the tree.  Once the pail was empty, however, I had to return to the source to refill, necessitating many trips back to the faucet on the side of the house.  The day I found the hose I rejoiced!  Now I could simply supply water to the tree directly from the source.

It is the same with love.  I am unable to love in the way God expects me to love.  I can only love because He first loved me, and it is only His love that can astound the world and draws the lost to Him. (1 John 4:16-19)  My own efforts to love fall far short from what God can do if I stay connected to Him. (John 15:5)

I am called to love with the perfect, never-ending supply found in God, not in my own sub-standard, meager stores.

Holiness

"Surely God will be kind to you because of what you've done for Him.  He will give you what you want because of your sacrifice."  This was the logic my Muslim friend dispensed when I told her my husband's need for a job.  In her mind, God is like a man, susceptible to manipulation and observing a kind of barter system.

In reality, God's ways are far above my own. (Isaiah 55:8-9) As my Father, God knows my needs and gives me what He deems best according to His own plan and purpose for my life.  (Matthew 6:31-33)  Therefore, I would be wise to understand His holy nature.  As He is separate from the world's ways and pure of any contaminate, I am called to live similarly.

If I judge myself according to my own sense of righteousness, however, I will find myself becoming judgmental of others while cutting myself slack.  I will expect the impossible from my brothers and sisters while I give myself a pass.  I will find that I spend more time focused on what others need to fix instead of repenting of that which contaminates my own heart.

God calls me to follow His example of holiness, not because I am special or better than anyone else, but due to the fact that I am so weak. (1 Peter 1:13-16)  It is easy for me to fall back into my old ways, acting as if I don't have the power over sin that Jesus supplies. (Romans 6:11-14) In order for me to stand firm against temptation, then, I will need to be aware of my own susceptibility.  I must separate myself from that which lures me backward, seeing sin for what it is: An affront to a holy God.

I am called to live a holy life, but can only stand firm in a fallen world by the grace of a holy God.

Relationship

Jesus never ran after anyone.  He spoke the truth, called for repentance, loved those who had never before experienced such compassion, but He never chased after those who walked away.  Instead, He worked with the one who came down out of the tree to see the Savior, or the woman who took a chance and touched His cloak, or the men who left their nets on the shore in order to follow Him.  (Luke 19:5-6, Luke 8:43-48, Matthew 4:18-22)  

I am called to make disciples of all the world. (Matthew 28:19-20)  In light of this commandment, it's easy for me to become overzealous, desperately trying to force those in my path to see the truth of the Gospel.  I know its power to transform lives, introduce peace into chaos and deliver a rich and meaningful life.  

While I may be able to see how my relationship with the self-professed atheist, the devout Muslim or the homeless alcoholic could serve to introduce Jesus into their desperately hopeless situation, I cannot force them to see their need for a Savior.  Only God can do that.  (John 6:44)

Therefore, when I set out to please people in my feeble attempts to attract the lost to the message that could save their lives, I must remember it is my devotion to Christ which is most important.  This reminds me of a movie I recently watched called, "Machine Gun Preacher." Sam Childers turned his life over to Christ and heard the call to help the war orphans of Sudan. In his quest to protect the innocent from the brutal rebel militia, however, he seemed to lose his connection to Christ.  Instead of letting God work through him to save these children, he used his own brand of warfare to fight the battle that lay before him.  Therefore, he grew into a bitter, angry man who would go to any length to accomplish the mission.

When I place the mission above my relationship with God, I have crossed a boundary set to protect me.  As Oswald Chambers wrote in My Utmost for His Highest, "Discipleship is based solely on devotion to Jesus Christ, not on following after a particular belief or doctrine."  I must not sacrifice my commitment to the person of Jesus in my quest to win souls for Him.

I am called to make disciples of all nations, but can only do so in tandem with Christ.

It is easy for me to go outside the borders God has set for me.  Thankfully, He has placed those boundaries in place to keep me inside His parameters so I can love others with his perfect love, live a holy life by His grace, and keep my relationship with Christ as my utmost ambition.  In these ways I will observe the boundaries God so wisely placed in my life.

As I begin this day it is my prayer that I can respect the holy nature of God.

When do I take a "no holds barred" approach to living for Christ?

How do I try to love others in my own strength instead of letting God love through me?

Inward Focus

"Then the Jews led Jesus from Caiaphas

to the palace of the Roman governor.

By now it was early morning,

and to avoid ceremonial uncleanness

the Jews did not enter the palace;

they wanted to be able to eat the Passover."

John 18:28

They were so concerned with their own holiness.  They went to great pains to study God's law, interpret it, create rules to help others follow it and supervise the adherence to it.   Their devotion to God's law was astounding.

Many looked up to these Jewish leaders as the epitome of godliness.  Most thought they were the ones to emulate.  It was assumed these men knew God Himself, so holy were they.  Unfortunately, the people of Israel who believed these things about their leaders were wrong.  Jesus said to these same men, "If you knew me, you would know my Father also." (John 8:19)

If they had paid more attention to the One who wrote the laws instead of obsessing over the law itself, God would have opened their eyes to the Messiah.  Instead, they found themselves fighting against God and being used by Him to fulfill scripture regarding Jesus. (Isaiah 6:9-10, John 12:37-41)

In the same way, I can get caught up in religious ritual, timeless tradition, and stubborn beliefs.  When I make these my god, I forsake the One who died a criminal's death on the cross so that I might get to know my Creator.  Instead of walking with Him throughout my day, I spend my time trying to figure out how to please Him, working on my character so that I can look more like Jesus, or doing things that seem like godly activities in which to take part.  When I do follow Him, however, He leads me down paths of righteousness for His namesake. (Psalm 23:3)

From the outside, I may look holy and godly, just like the Jewish leaders, but God holds an inward focus.  How do I stack up inside?

Heart

She tried so hard to worship God.  Looking around her on Sunday morning, she mimicked the behavior of those deemed acceptable and who looked like they had it all figured out.  They told her to just let go and allow God's Spirit to well up inside of her; to free her body to praise God in however He leads.  She tried, but somehow she never felt what they described.  She must be doing something wrong.  She loved God but she felt like a failure.  Why can't I just worship Him?

God is meant to be worshiped with my whole being in the way I live my life. (Romans 12:1) Since God is the lover of my heart, He doesn't care so much about what I do, what I wear, where I go or who I befriend.  His focus is not on the outward appearance, but on what is going on inside my heart.  He wants me to be so attentive to Him that I don't care how it looks on the outside.

To some it may appear I'm falling away from God because I stopped coming to Bible study to make time to hang out with drug addicts, I started bringing questionable characters with me to church on Sundays, and I got a tattoo.  

These believers may judge me, thinking that I'm turning away from God and trying to make it seem like I'm still following Christ.  In reality, God is leading me to reach out to "sinners" by frequenting places unbelievers hang out.

In Matthew 15:9, Jesus quoted the prophet Isaiah in criticizing the wrong focus of the "church people."  He said, "These people come near to me with their mouth and honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me.  Their worship of me is made up only of rules taught by men." (Isaiah 29:13)  God desires my heart to be fully devoted to Him.  This doesn't mean I must be perfect, only that wanting to know Him and follow Him would be my greatest longing.

I must be warned, however, that when I start letting God transform my mind and mold my way of thinking, I will look strange to everyone else.  Only those whose hearts are aligned with God will understand; everyone else will try to talk me out of the path I'm taking, telling me that I'm off.  As Peter said to the Sanhedrin, "We must obey God rather than men!" (Acts 5:29)

In order to avoid the trap of shallow worship, I must devote my heart to knowing and being known by Jesus.

Cleanliness

I have noticed lately my country's obsession with cleanliness.  There are constantly new products on the market to kill bacteria, fight fungus and stop the spread of germs.  We are encouraged to clean the old-fashioned way, clean with new-fangled gadgets, or clean the easy way.  Whichever method I choose, I'm getting the message that clean is good.

While they're is nothing wrong with cleaning, I find it interesting that people are so passionate about outward cleanliness but have no problem with all the filth that penetrates the hearts in their homes.  Network television is filled with shows that degrade families, promote pornography, encourage promiscuity and endorse the gay lifestyle.  The Internet is widely accessible in most homes and filled with garbage that is embraced as entertainment.  

The minds of most Americans are constantly bombarded with dirt.  As Angus Jones, actor who plays "Jake" in Two and a Half Men and recently went public with his belief that a true God-fearing person cannot be on a television show like that, said, "Please stop watching it.  Please stop filling your head with filth."

If I want to be truly concerned with my cleanliness, I must be concerned with what goes in, not just what's on the exterior. (Proverbs 4:23)  I can't just look good on the outside.  When David confessed his sin against God in taking Bathsheba, Uriah's wife, as his own, he cried out to God, "Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me." (Psalm 51:10)  

It's not enough to look good, but a heart devoted to Jesus will be changed and grow sensitive to sin.  When this begins to happen, I'll only desire things that honor God instead of being willing to allow filth into my heart.  My motives will be pure, dropping the ulterior motive of my own comfort, pleasure and entertainment and be completely concerned with pleasing and honoring God.

In order to avoid the trap of focusing only on appearances, I must let Jesus guard my heart as the wellspring of life.  

Holiness

Some people believe it is possible to live a life free from sin.  They think God's Spirit enables me to live a holy and pure life.  Oswald Chambers says of this, "The holiness movements of today have none of the rugged reality of the New Testament about them.  There is nothing about them that needs the death of Jesus Christ.  All that is required is a pious atmosphere, prayer, and devotion. . .Yet the New Testament is about the work of God and nothing else. . . The Spirit of God does in me internally all that Jesus Christ did for me externally."

I am not called to be holy for my own purposes.  I am called to live in obedience to His Spirit who is within me so that I can glorify God.  I resemble His character when I'm dedicated to Him, not to my own sanctification.  Chambers shed some light on the difference when he said, "The New Testament example of the Christian experience is that of a personal, passionate devotion to the Person of Jesus Christ."

When I see someone suffering who has been ostracized by the medical community and other believers as "crazy," Jesus compels me to reach out and comfort.  When I am drawn to a group of cursing, drinking teens, Jesus compels me to share His love.  When my neighbors' children are out of control, Jesus compels me to offer support.

A focus on my own character development would not drive me toward these uncomfortable situations.  Only a devotion to Jesus Himself would give me the desire to do these kinds of acts as I'm more concerned with God's glory than my own reputation or status.

In order to avoid the trap of being driven by a quest for personal holiness, I must be more concerned with the glory of God. 

Religion requires an outward focus and is an empty, bottomless pit filled with traps of all kinds.  Three I must avoid as I follow Jesus are worshiping superficially, cleaning outwardly, and seeking to improve my own reputation.  Instead, I can live with the desire to please God in all things, protect my heart from the filth of this world, and seek glory for God alone.  In so doing, I will discover the joy in walking at peace with Jesus.

As I begin this day it is my prayer that I can keep my focus inward instead of only concerning myself with how things look on the outside.

How do I clean up the outside, but neglect to protect my heart from filth?

When am I more concerned with my own entertainment than in protecting me and my family from things that dishonor God?

Before Time Began

"For God saved us and called us to live a holy life.

He did this, not because we deserved it,

but because that was his plan 

from before the beginning of time--

to show us his grace through Christ Jesus."

2 Timothy 1:9

People who have been through harrowing near-death experiences often undergo a transformation of perspective.  They realize life is short and that the things they were focusing on were shallow and meaningless.  Family takes on a higher priority, friendships are cherished as never before, and God plays a more significant role in their lives.

I don't have to wait until I nearly die to go through this same kind of transformation.  As a follower of Christ, I am called to live a certain way.  Just as the Israelites were always set apart and peculiar to those living round them, the modern day people of God are also called to be different. . . to stick out like a sore thumb. . . to be salt and light.

Saved for Godliness

God is holy.  He is set apart, morally pure and holiness is an integral part of every aspect of his character.  His justice is holy, His love is holy, His grace is holy.  God is above all things and sanctified from all of His creation.

I was not saved from the consequences of my sin through faith in Jesus Christ so that I can live my life the way I always have lived.  There is a purpose for my life that goes well beyond my life!  God's plan is not for my comfort, for my blessing or for my well-being.  God's plan is for His name to be glorified throughout the earth.  

God called me unto Himself so that I can live a holy life and thus reflect His nature in a dark and sinful world.  Peter teaches about my calling as recorded in 1 Peter 1:14-15. "As obedient children, do not conform to the evil desires you had when you lived in ignorance.  But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do."  

It is not enough for me to accept Jesus as my Savior and enjoy the assurance of entrance into heaven, but never change the way I live.  As part of God's adopted family, I am to be like the Israelites when God told them to, "consecrate yourselves and be holy, because I am holy." (Leviticus 11:44)

I am saved and adopted into God's family so that I can live a holy life; different from the lives of those around me who are not saved, wholesome and decent, and this holiness should permeate every aspect of my character.  My love should look different from the love of the unsaved because it is God's love.  My gentleness comes from God and sets me apart from the harshness that is prevalent in the world.  My gracious attitude gives others a break when the world has no mercy.  

God is glorified when I live the holy life He called me to live.

Plan of Grace

Now that I claim Jesus as my Savior, my life is not my own.  I was bought at a price.  Therefore, He calls me to live a holy life, but this is not accomplished through my own effort.  I am unable to live a holy life in my own strength.

Rather, it is God's grace that is freely given that empowers me to resist temptation and submit to God.  Where God's law shows me how far I fall short of His standard, it is powerless to save me.  It is incapable of giving me the ability to follow it, thus pleasing God.  

Instead, it is His grace which enables me to change my ways and become more like Christ.  As James teaches, "He gives us even more grace to stand against such evil desires." (James 4:6 NLT)  Like the desire to be my own master.  Or the longing to meet my innermost needs.  Or the urge to do things my way instead of God's way.  

Missionary leader and devotional writer Andrew Murray described grace this way.  He said, "God has no more precious gift to a church or an age than a man who lives as an embodiment of his will, and inspires those around him with the faith of what grace can do."

Grace is a gift freely given by God that makes possible the living of a holy life.

Before Time Began

Writer Kate Atkinson describes the beginning in this way.  "Before the beginning is the void and the void belongs in neither time nor space and is therefore beyond our imagination.  Nothing will come of nothing unless it's the beginning of the world.  This is how it begins, with the word and the word is life.  The void is transformed by a gigantic firecracker allowing time to dawn and imagination to begin."

Before God created time, the earth was formless and empty.(Genesis 1:2)   I cannot fathom anything eternal in nature. . . it is beyond my ability to understand.  I cannot comprehend a place without time. . . it is out of my grasp.  

This, however, does not mean that God was not able to think and plan before time began.  He existed forever.  There is no beginning to God.  As He was formulating His plan for creation, He included a plan for saving us from our sins. 

As incomprehensible as is the thought of the plan of salvation existing before time began,  it is supported in the Apostle Paul's teachings to the church at Ephesus.  "Even before he made the world, God loved us and chose us in Christ to be holy and without fault in his eyes.  God decided in advance to adopt us into his own family by bringing us to himself through Jesus Christ.  This is what he wanted to do, and it gave him great pleasure." (Ephesians 1:4-5 NLT)

God's plan for my life began before time began.  

The way I live my life reflects my understanding of how I fit into the scheme of things.  Once I understand that I was saved for godliness, that God's plan of grace empowers me to live a holy life, and that this plan existed before time began, I am inspired to live as God has called me to live.

As I begin this day it is my prayer that I my life today will be more holy than it was yesterday.

How do I set low standards for myself in the area of holiness?

How do these low standards reflect poorly on God and the grace He has given me?