purity

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Pure In Relationship

This is part of a series of writings I am working on to expand the post I published earlier, Pure In HEART.  This series will be taking a more detailed look at each point of that post.  Today I look at part four, Pure in Relationship.

Again, the seeds for this series came from God through a song that took up residence in my mind for the better part of a week.  🙂   I think the song may be titled, “Highway To Heaven”, but the line that stuck with me is, “it’s a highway to heaven . . . none can go up there . . . but the pure in heart . . . well, it’s a highway to heaven . . . walking on the King’s highway!”

The phrase that continually jumped out at me was the idea of “pure in heart“.  I believe God has given me another acrostic to provide the framework for a sermon He has been giving me — and thus a series of writings.  What does it mean to be pure in heart?  I want to look at five areas that should help lead us toward being pure in heart.  We’ve already looked at living Pure in Humor, Pure in Eyes, and Pure in Attitude and now we come to Pure in Relationship.

” Do not rebuke an older man harshly, but exhort him as if he were your father. Treat younger men as brothers, older women as mothers, and younger women as sisters, with absolute purity.”  1 Timothy 5:1-2 (NIV)

Somewhere along the line it seems that respect in relationship has slid out of practice in a society that values the individual rights above all else and lives by an “everything is about me” attitude.  Living pure in relationship will require a foundation of purity in attitude.  As our attitude grows into being more Christ-like, we more consistently consider the needs of others above those of our own.

Paul writes to the young evangelist, Timothy, with some great instructions on what a pure relationship would look like in a variety of age and gender contexts.  We treat older men as if they were our father — even, and especially, when the situation appears to call for correction.  We treat younger men as brothers — siblings who may not always agree but always are looking out for and protect against attacks from outside the family.  We treat older women as we would a loving and sacrificial mother — with great love, tenderness and compassion.  We treat younger women as a sister — with absolute purity and no allowance for thoughts by us, or by anyone else, that would place them in a compromising position.  Unfortunately, much of the meaning gets lost when we fail to understand how Timothy would have heard and taken the comparisons that Paul makes.

The ultimate purity in relationship ought to be found in our relationship with God through Jesus Christ!  This is a relationship that we simply must get right.  As the song that planted the seeds for this series says, “none can go up there, but the pure in heart”.  In our relationship with God, do we tend to “cheat” on Him with other lovers?  Do we talk back and show complete contempt for who He is?  Do we ignore His will and commands with a disrespect that leads us down a very dark path?  Do we have no regard for His name and the reputation we give it to those who are watching us?  In our relationship with Him, and with others, God calls us to be holy as He is holy.  While that is impossible to do on our own, we can experience a cleansing of our attitude and an empowering of His Spirit to enable us to live a life that is holy and acceptable unto God.

So, how are your relationships?  Are you allowing your relationships to grow in depth and purity as you center them around the core of a vibrant relationship with God?  Do you live submissively in relationship with people in a way that shows you value them and their needs above yourself and your desires?  I pray that you and I would pursue God faithfully and be found “pure in HEART” because we have paid attention to purity in our Humor, Eyes, Attitude, Relationships, and Teaching!

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Pure In Humor

This is part of a series of writings I am working on to expand the post I published last week, Pure In HEART.  This series will be taking a more detailed look at each point of that post.  Today I begin with Pure in Humor.

Again, the seeds for this series came from God through a song that took up residence in my mind for the better part of a week.  🙂  I think the song may be titled, “Highway To Heaven”, but the line that stuck with me is, “it’s a highway to heaven . . . none can go up there . . . but the pure in heart . . . well, it’s a highway to heaven . . . walking on the King’s highway!”

The phrase that continually jumped out at me was the idea of “pure in heart“.  I believe God has given me another acrostic to provide the framework for a sermon He has been giving me — and thus a series of writings.  What does it mean to be pure in heart?  I want to look at five areas that should help lead us toward being pure in heart and I begin with this post focused on our view of humor.

“But among you there must not be even a hint of sexual immorality, or of any kind of impurity, or of greed, because these are improper for God’s holy people.  Nor should there be obscenity, foolish talk or coarse joking, which are out of place, but rather thanksgiving.  For of this you can be sure: No immoral, impure or greedy person — such a man is an idolater — has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God.”  Ephesians 5:2-5

What do you find funny?  How would others describe your sense of humor?  Dry?  Witty?  Missing?  Off-color?  Depends on who  you’re with?  What does it look like to live pure in humor — with no “obscenity, foolish talk, or coarse joking”?  Social media can be an incredible tool to communicate and connect with people in positive ways but the openness of it can often be a window into our soul that is much darker than we would care to admit.

As one that has been involved in vocational ministry for many years, I admittedly have been somewhat protected from what seems to be a gutter-ball slide of society into an acceptable culture of “obscenity, foolish talk, and coarse joking”.  If you have to start a story or joke with, “this may be inappropriate, but . . . “, it probably shouldn’t be told.  🙂  There’s nothing wrong with people knowing, because of what you believe and stand for, that what they’re about to say you wouldn’t find funny.  Polite laughter, so as not to offend, often appears to be implied approval or acceptance.  It is somewhat ironic that we will laugh at an offensive joke so as not to offend the joke-teller while we are offended, or at least ought to have been offended, by what was said.

While people who know me as a minister, or even as a Christian, may throttle back on what they say in person, the on-line social media is a whole other arena in which everything you post is out there for all to see.  It is sad to see how many people on my “friends” list use everything from mildly suggestive to downright obscene language in their posts and comments.  Everything is tagged with “lol” and we’re supposed to just laugh it off because it wasn’t meant to be serious.  I’ve heard it all.  “Get a life.”  “It’s no big deal.”  “Everyone talks like that — it doesn’t mean anything.”  “Times have changed.”  “What century are you living in?”  And on it goes.  The truth is, I can’t control what anyone writes, says, or finds funny — except for myself.  While it may be tempting at times to throw out words for shock value or laugh at things I know are inappropriate, God continues to call me to be pure in HEART and part of that calling is to live with purity in my humor.

Jesus says that what is in the heart is what comes out of the mouth.  The words that we use — whether in speech or writing — provide a window to our very heart and soul.  What we find funny, and the things we view as humorous, tells a lot about who we really are inside.  Yes, laughter really is good medicine but as we seek to be pure in heart, we really must pay close attention to seeking and having great purity in our humor.

I pray that you and I would pursue God faithfully and be found “pure in HEART” because we have paid attention to purity in our Humor, Eyes, Attitude, Relationships, and Teaching!