Greetings at the well!
Lord, we thank You that You have brought us together here to learn from one another and to fill our cups with Your Holy Presence and Your Living water. Give us wisdom today as we again come before You, seeking to live out our faith as Titus 2 women, bringing Your refreshing water to everyone we encounter.
Titus 2 calls us "to be self-controlled and pure.....so that no one will malign the word of God."
How do we teach the next generation (both our daughters and other young Christian women) how to live a life of purity WITHOUT falling into legalistic rules, or on the other hand, to slip into a worldly mindset, teetering on impurity?
How do we live, as Jesus said, "in the world" without being "of the world?"
How is the word of God "maligned" when we aren't living in purity?
Wow, these are some "tough" questions, aren't they? But, yet, God calls us to be pure.
First of all, "purity" comes from the blood of Jesus. It is never something we can "muster" up on our own. It is only the power of the Holy Spirit living within us that empowers and enables us to live in purity.
"God has united you with Christ Jesus...Christ made us right with
God; He made us pure and holy, and He has freed us from sin."-1Corin. 1:30
But, we must also cooperate with the Holy Spirit and WALK in this purity by our choices, commitments, and values.
"God has called us to live holy, not impure lives." -1Thes. 4:7
We have to be careful about the TV shows we watch, the music we listen to, the books we read. Our choices are important. We need to choose things that glorify God, not lead us into unwholesome thinking or tempt us to sin.
But, here is where it can be tricky. We do not want to legalistic, piling rule upon rule on our kids. That will turn them running in the opposite direction. And, here is where I have struggled.
TV is an example. At first, we said "no" to all evening Disney and "Nick" shows. I don't like their push for romantic relationships with children, their focus on clothing, disrespect for grownups, and the music videos! But, as our children grew up, they wanted to watch shows their friends watch and felt like they were "missing out." So, now we take it "show by show." As parents, we need to watch with them to point out values that we do not agree with. Some shows are still "off limits." And, we will turn off a particular episode of shows that they are allowed to watch .
The point is that we want to fill our hearts and minds with things that glorify God. We don't want to become too familiar or comfortable with ideas that are "worldly" or hinder our walk with Him.
"Do not be conformed to the patterns of this world, but be transformed by the
renewing of your mind. Then, you will know the will of God." Romans 12:2
So, how do you keep "purity" from being a list of rules or becoming legalistic?
When you make purity a matter of the heart. Purity comes from a heart of love for God, and a close relationship with Him. When we love Him, our heart wants live to please Him. When we are walking with God and watching a movie that grieves the Holy Spirit, we, too will want to walk away from it.
The things that offend God offend us. The things that make God sad will also make us sad. As we continue to grow in our love relationship, we will seek the things He wants and turn away from the things He doesn't.
How does living an impure life as a Christian "malign" or shame the Word of God?
The world is watching us as Christians. We are Christ's ambassadors, His fragrance, His reflection. It is so important to our witness to live in purity.
Unbelieving husbands are "won over not with wive's words but when they see the purity" of their lives. (1Peter 3:1-2)
Philippians 2:14 says, "Do everything without complaining or arguing, so that you may become blameless and pure in a crooked and depraved generation, in which you shine like stars in the universe..." To shine the light of Jesus to the generation around us, we must live in purity.
We don't want to "blend in" as Christians! We want to offer "an alternative" to the world's standards! We are set apart and "peculiar", strangers and aliens in this world. (see 1Peter).
Webster's says "pure" is "free of dirt or pollutants." That says it all! We want to keep the "dirt and pollutants" from our hearts and lives. Again, we don't want to conform to this world, but allow God to renew our minds and transform our lives. We want to live IN the world WITHOUT becoming like it.
And, finally, when we live pure lives, God can use us.
"If you keep yourself pure, you will be a special utensil for an honorable use. Your life will be clean, and you will be ready for the Master to use you for every good work." -2Tim. 2:21
Isn't that neat? We are special utensils in the hand of God. He wants to do things IN us, but also through us. He wants us to be ready for His call and purpose.
So....how?
The best way for us to teach our children about purity is to LIVE it. It means we can't tell them one thing and then do something else. (We can't talk about TV to them and turn on "Sex in the City" when they go to bed.) We need to keep our hearts pure within a close relationship with Jesus. We need to ask Him to continue to purify our hearts, thoughts, and motives. We need to talk to our kids. Explain these things to them. There is a battle going on for their hearts and their purity. We need to prepare them. We need to pray for their purity (as well as our own!).
Oh, how I could go on and on about this topic! It is one that is dear to me. I also blogged about it here . But, I want to give you the opportunity to share your thoughts and revelations!
Please comment. Please dive in and share your input. I am looking forward to hearing from all of you!
Lord, thank You for the blood of Jesus that purifies us from all unrighteousness. Help us to live this life of purity in You. Help us to be a light shining in a dark world that mocks purity and living for God instead of yourself. Grant us the grace to walk in purity. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen.
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