Your Daily Devotional for June 18, 2006

 

June 18, 2006

Commitment to Purity

by Dr. Paul Chappell

 

“Be ye therefore followers of God, as dear children; And walk in love, as Christ also hath loved us, and hath given himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweetsmelling savour. But fornication, and all uncleanness, or covetousness, let it not be once named among you, as becometh saints; Neither filthiness, nor foolish talking, nor jesting, which are not convenient: but rather giving of thanks.”

Ephesians 5:1-4

 

Friend, we see from our text today that though the world’s standards have changed dramatically, God’s standard for purity remains the same. The definition of the word “fornication” has not changed: it means any sexual encounter outside of the bond of marriage. For a teenager looking for the will of God, a good place to start is 1 Thessalonians 4:3, “For this is the will of God, even your sanctification, that ye should abstain from fornication,” and in 1 Peter 2:11, the Bible says, “Dearly beloved, I beseech you as strangers and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts, which war against the soul.” In 1 Peter 1:15, we read: “But as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation.”

 

Throughout the Scriptures, God is calling Christians to a higher level of moral purity. It is a call for children, teenagers, parents and single-adults to live a life of holy dedication to God, with less rhetoric on the part of the Christian and more living out what God’s Word says; it is a call to commit to purity.

 

In 1992, former Vice-President Dan Quayle spoke out against the Hollywood tv program, Murphy Brown, because it depicted the live birth of a baby born out of wedlock. Dan Quayle was calling for a return to traditional family values. The media criticized him, and some even said that he was against single mothers, yet in reality, he was simply exposing a moral and economic nightmare which needed to be addressed in our country.

 

The statistics are staggering: in 1960, 5% of all children born were born out of wedlock; just three decades later, 30% of all children born were born out of wedlock. These issues must be addressed with a biblical perspective.

 

A.C. Green, the three-time NBA champion with Los Angeles Lakers, shows us his convictions in his book entitled Victory. He said, “When I became a Christian, I made a vow like Samson. I resolved not to be with a woman until I was married. Often they call us at the hotel room, but the same hand that picks up the phone can hang it up again. We all have the power of choice but once used, our choice then becomes power over us…When Ervin was diagnosed with aids, in 1991, most of the team immediately went to the hospital. I didn’t.”

 

Amazingly, our society would rather make a hero out of a man who has lived immorally and has contracted aid’s than a man that has stood for moral purity. Hebrews 13:4 says, “Marriage is honorable in all, and the bed undefiled: but whoremongers and adulterers God will judge.” Thank God for a professional athlete like A.C. Green who defended the honor of biblical marriage!

 

You might read this and say, “I have already messed up. What can I do?” Our God is merciful and loving, and He wants to forgive you! God gave Himself to us; will we give our lives to Him? Have you made a commitment to be pure? I challenge you to reestablish your commitment to purity and renew your dedication to the Lord today.

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