Weekly Devotional - "Whatever is Pure" - June 11, 2012

From Lenae, GEMS Training Manager

WHATEVER IS PURE

Create in me a pure heart, O God,

and renew a steadfast spirit within me.

Psalm 51:10

There was a time in church history that if the word lust was used in a sermon, it was intended to target the thought life of men. Let’s not deceive ourselves into thinking that we’re exempt from the command in Philippians 4:8, to think on whatever is pure.

We live in a sex-saturated society. What used to be talked about in the darkness is now commonplace on morning talk shows, in steamy movie scenes and romance novels, suggestive emails, music lyrics, magazine covers, and so on. Research shows that more and more women are viewing online pornography. Even if you’re not part of that statistic, the temptation to think impure thoughts is everywhere – including sexual innuendos at the workplace and larger than life posters of scantily dressed models in mall display windows.

We must flee from sexual immorality (1 Corinthians 6:18). Like Joseph who fled from Potiphar’s wife we must run from anything and anyone, that would cause us to sin against God (Genesis 39).

Instead of fleeing from a married woman like Joseph did, King David sent an invite. Rather than going back to his bed alone when he saw bathing beauty Bathsheba from his rooftop, he sent for her. From that momentary pleasure he experienced one painful consequence after another (2 Samuel 11 and following).

Psalm 51 is his acknowledgement of sin, sincere confession, plea for forgiveness and purification, and a request for renewal and restoration. Memorize this Psalm. Pray it often. Understand with David that unless we are purified before God, we’ll miss out on personal fellowship with Him.

It’s the pure in heart who will see God (Matthew 5:8). Without holiness no one will see the LORD (Hebrews 12:14). Sin fogs, alienates, and distances us from God. It’s only through the purifying blood of Jesus that we can be brought near to God.

We can’t make ourselves pure and holy any more than the Israelites who sacrificed burnt offerings or the Pharisees who meticulously cleaned the outside of their cups and dishes. No matter how good and pure things look on the outside, unless there’s inner, God created purity, it’s all a hypocritical sham.

Only God can create a pure heart within us. And it’s from that inner starting point that we can be pure and blameless until the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ – to the glory and praise of God (Philippians 1:10b-11).

Think on it: Are you following something or someone that you should be fleeing? Come clean and live free, forgiven, and pure for the glory and praise of God.

Years ago, I asked Jim Downing, one of the patriarchs of the Navigator work, “Why is it that so few men finish well?” His response was profound. He said, “They learn the possibility of being fruitful without being pure. . . they begin to believe that purity doesn’t matter. Eventually, they become like trees rotting inside that are eventually toppled by a storm.”

Michael Oh