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Past Articles – Messages of encouragement and information |
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1/21/01 - Separated in the Wilderness When God brought the descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob out of the land of Egypt, He led them out with a mighty hand. (Dt 6:21,22) For four generations, or about 400 years, they had been living in the land of Egypt, yet they were not a part of Egypt. From their arrival in the land of Goshen to their enslavement to the plagues that made a distinction, they were a separated people unto God. After crossing the Red Sea – on dry ground, thanks to God’s miraculous intervention – this army of recent slaves needed to learn that they were God’s unique-among-all-the-world people. They had not been like everyone else, and they were not to be like everyone else. They were to be uniquely God’s people. In order to help these people see their unique status, God did some amazing things on their behalf. When there was no water, God gave them water out of the rocks. (E.g., Ex 17:6) When they complained of not having pots of meat and bread to the full, God promised and gave them bread out of heaven (manna) and quail. (Ex 16) When they came to the mountain of God, Mount Sinai, God told them they were going to be His unique people – they would be a kingdom of priests and a holy nation to Him. (Ex 19:5,6) A nation needs laws; these former slaves knew only Egypt’s laws. God, therefore, gave them a new law system. The first ten laws, God personally engraved on tablets of stone! (Dt 5:6-22) Other laws dealt with religious regulations, with diet regulations, and with civil or national regulations. No other nation was going to be like them. No other nation would have “I AM” as Lord God. They were uniquely His people of all peoples on the earth. The church today is God’s holy nation, His kingdom of priests. (1 Pet 2:9) We are not like other peoples in any other nation. Our lives are to be devoted to serving God Almighty and no other god. As the Lord God called the people of Israel to separate themselves from everything unclean, unholy, so He calls upon His church today to “Come out…and be separate.” (2 Cor 6:17) Until next time…1/28/01 - Separated Unto God - Israel When the people of Israel were poised to go into the Promised Land, Moses told once again them the laws that God had given them. For forty years, they had been led by God in the wilderness until that generation who rebelled against God’s dominion had all died. (Num 14:27-35) That generation’s children needed to know God’s law before they crossed the Jordan into the Promised Land. Some of those laws dealt specifically with their relationship with the peoples of the Promised Land. They were laws that pointed out to the people of Israel that they were to continue to be a separated people – God’s people uniquely of all the peoples of all the lands. Deuteronomy chapter 7 begins with these words: When the LORD your God brings you into the land where you are entering to possess it, and clears away many nations before you, the Hittites and the Girgashites and the Amorites and the Canaanites and the Perizzites and the Hivites and the Jebusites, seven nations greater and stronger than you, and when the LORD your God delivers them before you and you defeat them, then you shall utterly destroy them. You shall make no covenant with them and show no favor to them. Furthermore, you shall not intermarry with them; you shall not give your daughters to their sons, nor shall you take their daughters for your sons … For you are a holy people to the LORD your God; the LORD your God has chosen you to be a people for His own possession out of all the peoples who are on the face of the earth. Did you notice the separation God intended? They were to make no covenant, nor to show them any favor, nor were they to intermarry with them! Here they come – taking over the land (it was given to them by God), and then acting holier-than-thou by not being neighborly! If you were one of the peoples left in the land, how would you have felt about these Israelites? Well, Israel didn’t do so well at being separate – they forsook God’s instruction. As the church, the unique people of God today (1 Pet 2:9), have we learned from their mistake? Are we willing to live by God’s word rather than our neighbor’s desires? Are we willing to walk as the unique people of God? Until next time… 2/4/01 - Separated Unto God: the Church God’s people have always been a separated people – set apart from the rest of the world unto God and His service. Sometimes that separation was very literal. Abraham was separated from his father’s family, led by God to a strange new land that would eventually be the home of his descendants. When God led those descendants out of Egypt, He brought them into that Promised Land. He instructed them that they were to be separate from the nations that occupied that land. Today, the church is the people of God. And like Abraham, and like the nation of Israel, we are to be a separated people. However, unlike Abraham and Israel, we are not separated physically from those around us. We live in this world, yet we are not of this world. Shortly before His betrayal and arrest, Jesus told His disciples, "If you were of the world, the world would love its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, because of this the world hates you." (Jn 15:19) We live in the world, but we are to be a distinct people within the world in which we live. Peter described the people of God with these words: …you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God's own possession… (1 Pet 2:9) Chosen; royal; holy; God’s possession. We are not like everyone else in this world. When Paul addressed the Corinthians about their close association with the things of the world, he quoted from Isaiah the prophet: "Therefore, come out from their midst and be separate," says the Lord. "And do not touch what is unclean." (2 Cor 6:17) His argument leading up to that statement is based on a Christian’s distinctness: Or what harmony has Christ with Belial, or what has a believer in common with an unbeliever? (2 Cor 6:15) Christians live next door to, work with, shop among, and go to school with those who are not God’s people. There is a great temptation to fit it with those around us, to conform our lives to the standards of our community. But we are God’s people, uniquely God’s people, a separate and distinct people even though we live among others. Let us keep that distinction ever fresh in our mind. When you are tempted to fit in with those around you, remember to Whom you belong. (Acts 27:23) Until next time… 2/11/01 - Separated Unto God: the Church (2) When Peter wrote to the saints scattered abroad, he included a discussion on how God’s people are different from the world in which we live. We live lives separated unto God. Peter penned these words: …live the rest of the time in the flesh no longer for the lusts of men, but for the will of God. For the time already past is sufficient for you to have carried out the desire of the Gentiles, having pursued a course of sensuality, lusts, drunkenness, carousing, drinking parties and abominable idolatries. In all this, they are surprised that you do not run with them into the same excesses of dissipation, and they malign you. (1 Pet 4:1-4) Christians don’t live like everyone else lives. We have watched as television has evolved from relatively wholesome family entertainment to a sensuous, foul-mouthed, cesspool pretending to be entertainment. Cable television led the way, but now even the “major networks” have climbed on board. Have you seen the XFL? Don’t; it’s not your father’s football game! What has happened in television and other entertainment industries is reportedly a reflection of what life is like. Granted, there is a lot of filth in this world. And maybe it is reflecting reality more than I’d like to admit. But it doesn’t reflect God’s design for reality! It doesn’t reflect behaviors that God’s separated people are called upon to exhibit. God calls us to wholesome speech (Eph 4:29), moral purity (1 Thes 4:3,4), honesty (Eph 4:22), love (Jn 13:34,35), service to others (Gal 5:13), and forgiveness rather than revenge (Col 3:13; Rom 12:19,20). These kinds of behaviors should be the framework upon which we, as God’s separated people, live even though we are surrounded by those who do not know God, and by those who profess to know God but live as if they don’t. It is tough to be different from everyone else. It is no wonder Peter says people will malign those who live godly lives. Let us be stronger in our faith that we won’t allow the actions of the world to become our actions. Let us not be among those who profess to know God, but by our deeds, deny Him. (Titus 1:16) Let us live lives separated unto God! Until next time…We’ve all seen it – several times. We’ve even been a part of it at one time or another. The effort is made to clean something up, and then it is undone right before our eyes. We wash the dog only to have it roll in the dirt. We bathe our children only to see them jump in a mud puddle. We wash our car… Well, it seems to always rain right after you wash your car. Clean it up, and it will get dirty again. Sometimes that is true in the spiritual realm as well. In Jesus, we are “cleaned up.” Our sins are washed away in the blood of the Lamb. (Acts 22:16; Rev 7:14) We are made righteous in Jesus. (2 Cor 5:21) We put off the old self and put on the new, being renewed in the image of the One who called us. (Col 3:9,10) But, clean as we are, sin still has its allure. The devil still entices us to walk away from God. Remember what Peter said about the devil. Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. (1 Pet 5:8) He wants us to return to wallowing in the mire, to become entangled in sin all over again. (2 Pet 2:20-22) We face a daily battle with temptation and its end, sin. As the people of God, we know we have been separated from the world by our submissive faith in Christ. We also know even though we have been separated from the world, we still live in the world. Becoming a child of God does not insulate me from temptation and sin. Becoming a child of God does not guarantee that I will never give in to the allure of sin again. The temptation to revert to my former lifestyle is my constant companion. God knows that temptation will be a regular struggle for me. He is faithful, even when I am not. He is faithful to provide the way of escape with every temptation that seeks to lure me away from my devotion to Him. (1 Cor 10:13) Be strong in the Lord. Stand fast in your faith. Don’t allow the devil’s temptations to lure you away from the Shepherd’s fold. You’ve been washed in the blood of the Lamb. You have been separated from the world. Don’t return to the world from which you were saved. Be on the alert, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong. (1 Cor 16:13) Until next time… “Oh, you’re the church that doesn’t believe in music.” How many times have you heard that? That seems to be our most noted trait as a body of believers. Some people think we can’t afford to have a piano or organ. Some think that is our unique claim to fame in a competitive religious market. (“Everyone’s got to have their niche.”) Some just think we are peculiar since we don’t “believe in music.” Well, folks, we do believe in music – music according to the plan set forth by God. The singing of psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs is the one way that every member of the body of Christ can participate in music. And it really doesn’t matter if someone needs a bucket to carry the tune. God listens to their heartstrings being plucked. But I’m not writing this about our music in praise of God. It’s about being a peculiar people. (1 Pet 2:9, KJV) Modern translations don’t use the word peculiar because its meaning has changed since the King James translation of the 1600’s. In those days, it carried the meaning of something that belonged uniquely, or peculiarly, to someone. Christians do belong uniquely, or peculiarly, to God. We are a people for God’s own possession. (1 Pet 2:9, NAS) God has always had His people. Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob were God’s people. The descendants of Jacob, i.e., the nation of Israel, were uniquely God’s people among all peoples on the earth. (Dt 7:6-8) With the coming of the Messiah, Jesus, there was a change in who were the people of God. No longer was it by rule of genealogy, but those who have faith in Jesus are the people of God. (Rom 9:6,7; Gal 3:26-29) Israel of old did not always appreciate being God’s unique people. That can still be true today. But God has set His love on us. God sent His son to die for us. Jesus has gone into heaven to prepare a home there for us. Jesus will come again and take us to where He is. We are a special people, a peculiar people, even God’s own people. Let us never forget the unique status that God has bestowed upon us in Jesus. Until next time… A holy people. That’s one of the descriptions that Peter uses to describe the people of God. (1 Pet 2:9) We’re not common; we are holy – because God is holy. (1 Pet 1:16) What do you think of when you think of a “holy” person? Is it an image of someone in long, dark robes walking around in quietness? Or is it a person whose full time is given in service of God in some way? Perhaps it is the person who continually says something like “God bless you.” Or perhaps they always have their radio tuned to a religious music station, or play only religious music on their CD or cassette player. Regardless of the particular image that comes up, there is something common in just about all of these images. People we regard as “holy” are different from other people. They don’t do the things that “ordinary” people do in the ways that “normal” people do things. Though we put flesh on that difference between “holy” people and “normal” people in different ways, the presence of a certain kind of difference is what separates the “holy” from the “ordinary.” Holy people belong to God. That is what makes them different. People who belong to God are normal for the most part. Being a “holy” person does not mean that one must live cloistered away from the rest of mankind. A “holy” person lives right next door to the unholy person, works beside the unholy person, and eats at the same restaurants. They may even buy a car from the same dealer, or a house from the same realtor as one who is not holy. What makes them holy is their walk through life because they are God’s people. They are in this world, but they are different from this world. Their speech is different – it is not vulgar or profane. (Curiously, “vulgar” used to mean common, ordinary, and “profane” used to mean not holy. Today, they typically are associated with dirty things, like four-letter words.) Their work ethic is different – they serve God even on an assembly line. Their focus in life is different – pleasing God first and foremost. (Col 1:10) It’s great to be a part of a holy people. Let’s not disappoint our God by being classed as “ordinary” by those among whom we live and work. Until next time… 3/11/01 - Christians - A Royal Priesthood
In Exodus 19:6, God said that Israel would be a kingdom of priests and a holy nation. As is true so often with God’s statements, there was a condition attached: if you will indeed obey My voice and keep My covenant. (19:5) In a very short time, Israel as a nation demonstrated they were not worthy to be a kingdom of priests to God. When Moses was on the mountain with God, the people rebelled and Aaron made them a golden calf. (Ex 32) When Moses called for those who stood with God, it was the Levites who rallied with Moses on the Lord’s side. They, then, became God’s priests under the Old Covenant. Peter writes about Christians: But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood. (1 Pet 2:9) With the change in covenants, there was a change in the priesthood. No longer were the Levites the priests of God, the royal priesthood. Under Christ, every child of God has become a royal priest – one who has access to God without an intermediary on this earth. Through Jesus, our high priest in heaven, Heb 8:1,2, each one who is born of God has access to the Father. Christians have become the royal priesthood. Let’s draw a comparison with the nation of Israel and those who have been born into the family of God. God chose Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and then the twelve patriarchs to be His people. Of all the peoples of the earth, God chose them. He set His love on them. He kept His promises to them. But they did not keep covenant with God. Therefore, God rejected them. As regards being a kingdom of priests, they were rejected. Under the New Covenant, those born into the family of God by submissive faith in Jesus are declared to be a royal priesthood. They come into the family of God by faith (trust in God’s will, God’s way); they stand in the family of God by faith. Remember Paul’s warning to the Gentile Christians at Rome. (Rom 11:17-21) We stand before God as royal priests by faith, or we don’t stand with God at all. If we today cease to walk by faith in God, we will end up like Israel of old: rejected by God. These will no longer be that royal priesthood. Therefore, each one who is a child of God must take heed to how they stand, or they will find themselves being cut off. Let’s stand by faith and prove to be God’s faithful royal priesthood. Until next time… 3/18/01 - Christians with a Purpose
It was the summer of 1968. I lay in my “rack” looking up at the ceiling. Thoughts were running through my mind. Most of them centered around, “What am I doing HERE?” There are probably only a few people in basic training who have not asked themselves that question. The answer was simple: I enlisted in the Navy. It is the spring of 2001. I lay in bed looking up at the ceiling. Thoughts run through my mind. From time to time, that same question pops up: “What am I doing here?” This time, however, there is a markedly different answer to the question. Peter’s answer is also my answer. And I hope that it is your answer also. “But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God's own possession, so that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light …” (1 Pet 2:9). (Emphasis mine, dsc.) Because of who we are (“a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God’s own possession”), we have a work to do in this world. We are heralds of God’s excellencies! Later, Peter said we should be ready to give an answer to everyone who asks about the hope within us (1 Pet 3:15). If someone were to ask you about faith, or about heaven, would you be able to give them an answer? Would your answer reflect a vibrant hope of being in heaven, or a remote possibility that maybe you might somehow end up there? The more we comprehend the excellencies of God, the closer we will walk with Him. The closer we walk to God, the more readily we will be able to reflect confidence in what God has prepared for His people. As we grasp more of the magnificence of our God, the more we will be able to “proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called us.” We will be not only walking in the light of God, we will also be basking in the glory of our God, and His excellencies will be on our lips and in our hearts. Be a proclaimer of His excellencies this week. Until next time…
3/25/01 - Abstain from Fleshly Lusts The apostle Peter wrote, "Beloved, I urge you as aliens and strangers to abstain from fleshly lusts which wage war against the soul" (1 Peter 2:11). Paul wrote to the Corinthians: "Flee immorality" (1 Corinthians 6:18). We live in a time where these kinds of instructions are as popular as eating chocolate covered ants! There are those who have developed an appetite for such things. They call them a "delicacy". (Not my first choice for a "delicacy".) I'm glad I have a choice as to whether I want to eat chocolate covered ants or not. But, I don't have a choice when it comes to keeping the instructions given by both Peter and Paul. That is, as one who has put on the Lord Jesus Christ in baptism (Galatians 3:26,27), as one who has been adopted into the family of God (Romans 8:14-18), my obligation in this life is to please God: first, last, always! (Colossians 1:10; Ephesians 5:10; 2 Corinthians 5:9) When we adhere to these kinds of instructions from God's word, we will be looked at as if we were enjoying eating chocolate covered ants. (Now, if you like chocolate covered ants, please don't take offence at this comparison. Enjoy being a part of that very special group.) The point is this: we will be different from everyone else. Not simply to be different, but because we are righteousness, according to God's definition of righteousness which includes fleeing from immorality. "See how great a love the Father has bestowed on us, that we would be called children of God; and such we are" (1 John 3:1). Because Christians are God's children, we walk to a different beat – a beat consisting of integrity, truthfulness, and honesty, a beat expressed in moral purity, chastity, and an undefiled marriage bed. When the temptation to engage in sexual immorality presents itself to you, as God's child, remember who your Father is. Remember what your elder Brother went through to enable you to be a child of God. And then flee from even the appearance of immorality. Fight the good fight of faith and strive to win the battle for your soul. Until next time… One of the resounding principles found in the New Testament concerning the structure of the Lord's church is that of autonomy. There is no indication in the Scriptures that one congregation was superior to another, no congregation had authoritative sway over another congregation. Each congregation managed its own affairs. However, from time to time we have opportunity to join with other congregations of God's people to work together in various capacities. The seniors of Muncie's Fairlawn congregation invite the seniors of all the area congregations to join them each week for their Golden Years' meetings. They enjoy singing, a lesson, and a meal together. We will be having our annual Mother-Daughter Banquet on April 28. There are always others who join us from other congregations in the area. There are two other activities that are rapidly approaching exclusively for our sisters in Christ. The Meadowbrook congregation will feature Mindy Reynolds from the Towne Acres church in Muncie at their annual Ladies' Inspiration Day on Saturday, April 21. She will be speaking on "The Woman's Role" as it relates to the church, the home, the community, and the workplace. For meal planning purposes, they need to know how many will be coming from Columbus Avenue to join them on the 21st. The registration deadline is this Sunday. The West 14th Street sisters have invited Kathy Conley from the Chestnut Street church in Ft. Wayne to speak on the relationship between older and younger sisters in Christ on Saturday, April 28. Their theme is "Older Women - Younger Women: Bridging the Gap." The deadline for registration is April 14th. (This is the same day as our own Mother-Daughter Banquet, but what a day it would be to spend the whole day with God's people!) There are not many signed up for either one of these two inspirational days. Take the lead and demonstrate your interest in these sister congregations. Sign up before you leave today. Let the older women set the example for our younger women (Titus 2:3-5). Until next time. . . 4/8/2001 - Keep Your Behavior Excellent In 1915, John M. Henson published a song entitled "Watching You." The refrain of this song reads likes this: "There's an Eye watching you. Watching you, watching you, every day mind the course you pursue. Watching you, watching you, there's an all seeing Eye watching you." The message of Mr. Henson's song is that we need to be mindful of our walk all the time because God is always watching us. We know God is watching us. The Psalmist wrote, "You know when I sit down and when I rise up; You understand my thought from afar. You scrutinize my path and my lying down, And are intimately acquainted with all my ways. Even before there is a word on my tongue, Behold, O LORD, You know it all" (Psalm 139:2-4). Surely we cannot hide even our most secret deeds from the God who knows all. But, He's not the only one watching our every move. . . The story is told that a young boy was brooding in the back seat of the car on the way home from church services. His father asked him what was bothering him. Choking back his tears, the little boy told him what they learned in Bible class that day. Their teacher told them she wanted them to be raised in Christian homes. Dad quickly agreed with the teacher's comments. Then the little boy sobbed, "But I want to stay with you and Mom." There are many people watching our behavior when we are not "in church" - including our children. There are many eyes watching us. And like God above, these eyes can see through the facade we may erect for church activities. They see us when we are just being ourselves, and it may not be what we lead the good folk at church to think we are like. There are eyes watching us. Peter said, "Keep your behavior excellent among the [nations]" (1 Pet 2:12). Paul wrote, "Be careful how you walk, not as unwise men but as wise" (Eph 5:15). The things we do today thinking others won't see us can come back to haunt us as we have sown the seeds of rebellion in the hearts of those who are watching us every day. Until next time. . . 4/15/01 - Engage in Good Deeds When Jesus reflects on the judgment scene in Matthew 25, it is curious as to where He places His emphasis. Notice the things to which He draws attention: visiting, clothing, feeding, and extending hospitality (Mt 25:35,36). He does not draw attention to engaging in song leading or preaching, to meeting with the saints, or even to the plan of salvation. Perhaps we are to presume that He is addressing those who are the people of God in the limited context of this judgment scene rather than all mankind. Whether we are to consider this a limited focus of the judgment or not, one principle comes through loud and strong: God's people are to be involved in helping other people. Consider these statements from God's penmen: "Instruct them to do good, to be rich in good works, to be generous and ready to share. . ." (1 Tim 6:18) "Our people must also learn to engage in good deeds to meet pressing needs, so that they will not be unfruitful." (Titus 3:14) ". . . and let us consider how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds, . . ." (Heb 10:24) Not only do we have these kinds of admonitions to be involved in helping others, there is also the testimony of the life of Jesus Himself. Peter spoke these words to Cornelius concerning Jesus: ". . . how He went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with Him." (Acts 10:38) If we are going to be like Jesus, we must be actively involved in doing the kinds of things Jesus called upon His people to do through the inspired penmen of the New Testament. We must be engaging in "good deeds" for the benefit of others. It is not enough to "go to church," to read the Scriptures, and to pray. To be like Jesus, we must be about His business - showing God's love to others by the things we do for them. Open your eyes this week to the ways in which you can go "about doing good" to others. Then make those kinds of activities a regular and anticipated part of your life. Until next time. . . 4/22/01 - Lights in the World: On Being Holy The concept of holiness conjures up different images to different people. For some, it means that the holy person lives a separated life, away from most of the temptations of life. Perhaps they are in a monastery in a far off land, or perhaps safely behind a great fence in the midst of a metropolitan city. Regardless of the address, they are cloistered away, spending their time in praying, chanting, meditating and tending to gardens. To others, it may spark memories of some of the great men of God over the years. Men such as Daniel who refused to live like the people of the land of Babylon because of his faith in God (Dan 1:8). Or perhaps of the apostle Paul who devoted his life to teaching and preaching Jesus to those who had not heard of Jesus (Rom 15:20). Yet, God uses the word "holy" to describe all of His people. The word "saints" in our Bibles means "holy ones." Christians are holy. No, not perfect, not cloistered away from temptation, and not even great people of faith like some who went before us were. But holy nonetheless. Christians are holy because God has chosen them to be holy (Col 1:22). The concept of holiness, of being holy, is rooted in the idea of being set apart for some purpose. As the white of the egg is set apart for an angel food cake, so Christians are set apart (made holy) for the purposes of God. Being a Christian means that God has made us holy, set us apart to His service. But the Bible still instructs us to be holy because God is holy (1 Pet 1:14-16). We are to put aside the former things and walk in holiness of life (2 Cor 7:1). We are holy by God's design, but we are to continually increase the degree to which we are walking in the ways of God - increasing in holiness. Our walk with God today should be closer than it was a year ago or five years ago. We should be becoming more and more like Jesus, exuding more and more the aroma of Christ to those around us. As a holy person, are you increasing the holiness in your walk? Are you striving to become more like Jesus who walked in perfect harmony with God's will? Until next time. . . In writing to the young preacher, Timothy, Paul penned these words: "But the goal of our instruction is love from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith" (1 Tim 1:5). Later, he would pen these words in relation to how Timothy was to deal with people, ". . . appeal to him as a father, to the younger men as brothers, the older women as mothers, and the younger women as sisters, in all purity" (1 Tim 5:2). Each of these verses mentions the concept of purity: purity in heart and purity in our relationships to others. Although theses are derived from different words, they reflect related principles. The "pure heart" is a clean heart, cleaned from all kinds of defilement, sinfulness, and wickedness. "Purity" in relationship is a moral judgment, especially as it relates to propriety among men and women. It reflects a noble and high standard of respect and, therefore, moral behavior between the sexes. Sadly, this is nearly a forgotten concept today. The entertainment industry leads the way in moral bankruptcy because people are willing to pay to see it. Our culture has slid into greater and greater depravity. Earlier this week, we were watching a program a decorating network. One of their home decorating stories featured what appeared to be a male-male couple. They were presented as if they were Ozzie and Harriet Nelson or Ward and June Cleaver. In other words, their relationship was as normal as any other. What has happened to what the Bible condemns? (1 Cor 6:9-11; Rom 1:26,27) We live in the midst of a morally bankrupt society. It is irresponsible to believe that we cannot be influenced by it. It comes into our homes daily. It works beside us. It is not easy to remain pure in an impure world. But that is exactly what God expects from His children. In order to do this, we must learn to identify what is not pure behavior. The only way we can learn that is to know assuredly what God says is morally pure. Spend time with God's word to learn how He distinguishes between moral and immoral behaviors. Then resolve to maintain His standard of purity and not slip into the world's polluted standard of purity. Until next time. . .
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