“Why do you
call Me ‘Lord, Lord’ and not do the things which I say?” -Luke 6:46 (NKJV)
I’m pretty
sure that I am not going to be very popular with a lot of people after they
read this blog, but I feel it needs to be discussed. A few weeks ago I initiated the question to
some friends, “Why is it that as Christians, when we do not follow the Bible in
its entirety- we’re hypocrites; yet, if we follow it completely- we’re
prudes?” My main thought behind this was
in regards to sexual purity, the stewarding of our bodies, and the way we
handle it in our personal relationships.
What does that look like? To tell
you the truth, I cannot say. That is
between you and the Lord, but we must also understand that our bodies are not
our own, and sin is sin. If you read and
study God’s Word, sin almost always leads to death (Prov 7:6-23; James
1:14-15), but His ways and statues lead to life (Psalm 119:9-11, 101, 105;
Isaiah 55:9) Now, please understand I do
realize we are under no condemnation and that everyone falls- but this is never
a reason to go on sinning willfully! The
point I am getting at is that we are constantly under the microscope by others
who are just waiting for us to mess up so that they can pick out “flaws” in
Christianity. That is why we must
continue to stay submitted to God and maintain a higher standard (Phil 3:16)
and lead others towards the Cross.
My
girlfriend and I recently ordered a couple copies of the book Hero: Becoming the Man She Desires by
Fred and Jasen Stoeker. We did this
because we want to begin (and maintain) our relationship in absolute purity for
the glory of God so that He will bless it.
Based on my previous experience, and to go along with Paul’s words, I
put NO confidence in the flesh whatsoever! (Phil 3:3) We can have the best intentions and be
completely sold out to Christ, but let’s face it- when times get hot and heavy-
we are definitely entering into dangerous waters! The best protection anyone can possibly do is
to put safeguards around circumstances and never let ourselves fall into that
trap. I heard Fred once talk about his
son Jasen and how Jasen and his fiancée maintained absolute purity right up to
the wedding altar: they never put themselves in compromising situations and
never were alone where wrong choices could be made. If this is the type of relationship you desire,
seek God in helping you not only find the strength to withstand, but to put
barriers up for your protection.
Remember, when there’s no boundaries placed around us, our so called “freedom”
can actually lead to a prison of pain and hurt.
However, when we live and operate within God’s perfect Word and
statutes, we find a level of love, trust, and peace that cannot be matched!
