Moral Purity

Do you want to know the will of God concerning your life?  Are you obeying the things that God has clearly stated in Scripture concerning His will?

   I Thessalonians 4: 3-8 states; 

For this is the will of God, even your sanctification, that ye should abstain (to keep oneself from) from fornication (illicit sexual intercourse, including adultery): That every one of you should know how to possess his vessel (exercise self-control) in sanctification (separation unto God through Christ as a result of obedience to His word) and honour (a valuing); Not in the lust (strong desire) of concupiscence (to set one’s heart upon in a bad way), even as the Gentiles which know not God: That no man go beyond and defraud his brother (stir up a desire in another that cannot be fulfilled biblically) in any matter: because that the Lord is the avenger (judge) of all such, as we also have forewarned you and testified.  For God hath not called us unto uncleanness, but unto holiness (being set apart).  He therefore that despiseth (to reject or set aside), despiseth not man, but God, who hath also given unto us his holy Spirit.

Abstinence from fornication is clearly the will of God.  Unfortunately, I think Christian singles are susceptible to being “culturized”.  The Christian single may be tempted to justify certain physical behaviours in a dating relationship by saying or thinking; we are not having sexual intercourse.  In the mean-time participation in these certain physical activities is preparing the body for just that.

In the verses above the Apostle Paul not only forbids illicit sexual activity, but he goes on to admonish us to exercise self-control through separation unto God by obedience to His word.  He warns against following the culture (the Gentile unbelievers) and he warns against stirring up in another a desire that cannot be fulfilled biblically.

Paul warns us because the Lord is the Judge of all such.  He has called us unto holiness (being set apart).  Paul warns that to reject this instruction is not rejecting man, but God. 

Paul concludes the section above by reminding us that God has also given believers His Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit indwells us and He is grieved when we sin.

If you are a Christian single who is dating, use some common sense.  Do not engage in intimate kissing and touching!  This is not love, it is passion!  This is not God’s will, it is self-will!  Genuine love will not defraud or stir up in another a desire that cannot be fulfilled biblically.  If you are dating, remind yourself of this daily.  The display of genuine love always seeks the best for the object of its affections.   If you are dating someone who is pushing physical intimacy, they do not have your best interests at heart.  In other words, they do not love you.

When dating, do not isolate yourselves from others.   Keep yourself accountable and visible to others.  If you have become engaged, be all the more diligent.  Until you exchange vows, you are NOT married.   Guilt can damage or destroy a relationship and it will affect your fellowship with God.  This is not the way to start a marriage and it is not the foundation upon which to build a marriage.

Keep in mind that whoever you marry becomes God’s will for you.  There is nothing you can do to change this past decision without sinning.  Marriage based on mutual attraction involving a physical type relationship is a poor foundation for choosing a life’s mate.  It is getting the cart before the horse.  Marriage decisions made under these conditions can lead to an unhappy marriage being God’s will for you.

If you do not know what to do…….please get biblical counseling from a Bible believing pastor.

……….and let the word of Christ dwell in you richly……..

Note:  If you do not know a Bible believing pastor with which to seek counsel, you may contact Leading Horses to Water by letter @ 48 Deer Run Trail, Climbing Hill, IA 51015.  

Note also:  Marriage as referred to above is defined as one man and one woman united together before God as one flesh. 

While cleaning out files recently, my wife found a paper napkin with my handwriting in pencil as follows:

That Christians should sing is ever so right,

Everyone sings when its cheery and bright.

It’s harder to sing when its dreary and stark,

The lost only notice when we sing in the dark…

Carbon 14 dating  puts the time of this writing at about 3000 BC.  However a careful examination of the paper napkin indicates that it is most likely from a Denny’s or Shoney’s restaurant and was probably written somewhere around 1980 AD.

Therefore will I give thanks unto thee, O LORD, among the heathen, and sing praises unto thy name.  Psalm 18:49

But I will sing of thy power; yea, I will sing aloud of thy mercy in the morning: for thou hast been my defence and refuge in the day of my trouble.  Psalm 59:16

Job wrote in the Old Testament; I know my Redeemer liveth!

The Apostle John wrote in the New Testament; These things were written, so that ye may know that ye have eternal life!

The Apostle Paul penned the words; I know whom I have believed and am persuaded that He is able to keep that which I’ve committed unto Him, against that day!

What do you know?

When we began to consider homeschooling our children, it was with the idea that we would do it for two or three years and then enroll them in a Christian school. We also agreed that since the burden of home schooling would fall on my wife, she would only do it as long as she could retain her sanity.  

There was a point in the beginning  where my wife was home schooling two children and caring for two preschoolers at the same time.  The younger two had no idea how important this schooling was to their older siblings, nor did they care.  Their blissful ignorance of what was going on in the home only added to the challenge before my wife.  

My task in all of this was administration.  I provided the funds for the textbooks, satellite feed, and supplies required to keep things in operation.  I was called upon to be an enforcer and to help discipline.  I was careful to require respect from the  students toward their mother and teacher.  They were taught that disrespect to her was considered to be disrespect to me. 

The most important task that I had, however, was to listen to my wife on a daily basis.   This task, by the way, was an act of God for us because it did not come to me naturally.

Let me explain.  Each day, when arriving home, I learned by the grace of God to sit down with my wife and listen to how the day went, including the problems or victories that came with it.  I did not listen while reading the paper (I may have at first) or while messing with my cell phone (not sure we even had cell phones when we began) or while watching the news on TV. 

I learned to listen to her, because all day long she had had no adult conversation.  Listening to her assured her that she was not in this alone.  Eventually, I learned that she did not need advice necessarily or quick solutions.  What she needed and wanted from me was my unwavering support and encouragement.

As a husband and father, I learned some things about my wife and mother of our children through this process of home schooling that I did not understand previously.  I learned that she would literally waste herself to care for our family.  I also learned that I could  stand by and watch her do it; I could pursue my own agenda (so I wouldn’t have to watch her do it); or I could keep her from killing herself by participating in the care and raising of our children.  By the way, she is still alive and she is still sane.  

Whether or not you are homeschooling, every Christian husband should be watching out for his wife, particularly if you have little ones.  Homeschooling only adds to the burden mentally, emotionally, physically and spiritually.  If you as a husband and father are not willing to partner with her in sharing this burden then you should probably not add homeschooling to her agenda.  

One of the characteristics of a Spirit filled (controlled) believer (husband) is that he loves his wife as he loves his own body.  You do the math.  How do I love thee?  Let me count the ways that I love my own body.

 So ought men to love their wives as their own bodies. He that loveth his wife loveth himself.  For no man ever yet hated his own flesh; but nourisheth and cherisheth it, even as the Lord the church:  Ephesians 5:28&29