Psalm 119:9a NASB
How can a young man keep his way pure?
How Can We?
I live in the USA (America).
And, I regularly ask myself this question, “How can a young man keep his way
pure?” Only, it is more like, “How can anyone keep his way pure?”
Why do I ask this regularly?
Because, no matter where one goes publicly in this nation, or perhaps in any
nation, we are bombarded with sex via magazine covers in grocery lines,
billboards, TVs in most all public places, and sexy and sensual images
presented in store fronts.
But, it isn’t just that. It
is other humans scarcely clad with clothing or wearing tight and revealing
clothing which just naturally draws the human eye that direction. For, I am
particularly sensitized to this as I walk with my husband at a mall or at the
grocery store or at any store in this nation.
And, then if you have a TV,
and if you watch TV, you are also bombarded with sexual images and sensuality
via commercials and TV shows, even in shows which may seem fairly innocuous. So,
we gave up our TV ten years ago, and I am so thankful! But, since most public
places have them, we are still regularly confronted with them out in public.
And, then there is the
internet, which has its good purposes, for sure. But, watch out, for danger is
lurking on the internet in every corner. Even on Christian sites are
advertisements which can be sexually alluring. But, on most sites, it seems,
there are alluring images presented on the side or at the bottom that are
intended, I believe, to draw people in and to trap them.
Psalm 119:9b-12 NASB
By keeping it according to Your word.
With all my heart I have sought You;
Do not let me wander from Your commandments.
Your word I have treasured in my heart,
That I may not sin against You.
Blessed are You, O Lord;
Teach me Your statutes.
By the Word of God
We, as followers of Jesus
Christ, can keep our way pure according to the teachings of scripture, by
keeping God’s Word and doing what it says.
The scriptures give us much
instruction on how to live and walk in purity, but so many people fail to
follow these instructions, and thus they fail to walk in purity.
We have to be intentional
about purity. If we are not, we are bound to fail. We have to be proactive. We
can’t just go through life casually unguarded and living in naivety to the
dangers lurking all around us and expect to not be led into traps from time to
time. We have to have on our spiritual armor all the time so that we are
spiritually prepared for any and every assault.
We can’t play with fire and
not expect to get burned, in other words. If we watch TV shows or commercials
or movies with sensuality in them, or if we frequent internet sites where we
know there will be alluring images, or if we allow ourselves to take second or
third glances in the wrong direction, we are bound to fall at some time or
another.
The Word of God speaks much
on this subject, and it tells us what we need to do. We need to throw off those
hindrances to our walks of faith. We need to be disciplined about what we take
into our minds and hearts. We need to flee temptation, not play with it, and
not entertain it. And, we need to resist Satan and call on God for help in time
of need.
Then, we need to treasure God’s
Word in our hearts so that we will not sin against him. But, to hide his Word
in our hearts is not just to memorize it in our minds. We must make it our
practice to do what it says. We must be doers of the Word and not hearers only.
Psalm 119:13-16 NASB
With my lips I have told of
All the ordinances of Your mouth.
I have rejoiced in the way of Your testimonies,
As much as in all riches.
I will meditate on Your precepts
And regard Your ways.
I shall delight in Your statutes;
I shall not forget Your word.
With Our Hearts
When we are doing the Word of
God, and we are walking in purity, then we need to be sharing the Word of God
with others. It is not that we have to be absolutely perfect before we begin to
share God’s Word with others, but we should not be intentionally walking in
disobedience to God’s Word and then try to tell others how they must live their
lives, for that is hypocritical.
And, going right along with
that, it is not just with our lips that we are to tell of the Word of the Lord,
but it should be with our lives, with how we live them, for actions speak
louder than words. If we are not living it ourselves, then we should not be
pontificating it to others, pretending as though we are living it. For, we
should be leading by example, not just by words only.
As well, rejoicing in the way
of the Lord’s testimonies is not with lip service only, but with our lives. We
can sing songs of praise to God with hands lifted high in the air and giving it
all the emotion we can give it, but if we are living a lie, then we are not
really rejoicing in his testimonies, are we? For, to find joy in the teachings
of scripture is to make them our practice.
I know I must sound like a
broken record here, but with each phrase that I read here I am reminded that it
is possible for us to go through the motions of praise, worship, meditation,
teaching and witnessing, and it be lip service only and not have heart
obedience behind it at all.
So, meditation on the Word of
God should not be intellectual only. The purpose of meditation is to take the
Word of God into our hearts and to apply its truths to our daily lives. And,
delighting in the Word of the Lord should also not be intellectual only, or even
emotional, but it should be evident by how we live our lives whether or not we
truly delight in the Word of God.
So, if we want to keep our
way pure, we have to get serious about God’s Word and doing what it says. We
have to truly delight in it, which is evidenced by how we live our lives. We
have to walk in the ways of the Lord and we have to cut out of our lives
everything which has the potential to lead us into sin. And, we have to guard
our hearts and minds against all evil and put into our minds that which is
pure.
Walking in purity takes
spiritual discipline, in other words. We can’t be casual about this or we are
bound to fail. So, get serious with God today if you are one who is still
struggling in this area of moral impurity. Walk with him and you will not
fulfill the sinful passions of your flesh.
He Keeps Me Singing
Hymn lyrics and music by Luther B. Bridgers, 1910
There’s within my heart a melody
Jesus whispers sweet and low,
“Fear not, I am with thee, peace be
still,”
In all of life’s ebb and flow.
All my life was wrecked by sin and
strife,
Discord filled my heart with pain;
Jesus swept across the broken strings,
Stirred the slumbering chords again.
Feasting on the riches of His grace,
Resting ‘neath His sheltering wing,
Always looking on His smiling face –
That is why I shout and sing.
Though sometimes He leads through
waters deep,
Trials fall across the way,
Though sometimes the path seems rough
and steep
See His foot-prints all the way.
Soon He’s coming back to welcome me
Far beyond the starry sky;
I shall wing my flight to world’s unknown,
I shall reign with Him on high.
Jesus, Jesus, Jesus –
Sweetest name I know,
Fills my every longing,
Keeps me singing as I go.
*copyright status in public domain
Saturday, August 11, 2018 –
Thank You, Lord, for this teaching from Your Word. May we take its truths and
apply them to our hearts and lives. Amen.
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