Normally when someone thinks of purity, they automatically think of sexual purity. In other words, not having sex before marriage. But purity is about more than not having sex.
The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines pure as "free from dust, dirt, or taint." That doesn't mention sex at all. But it does relate to sex. Yet, to be pure, we need to be righteous. We need to be clean. We are free from dust, dirt, or taint. This means we are free from sin.
James 4:8 says, "Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded." Ooo, a phrase that hits hard for me in this passage is "cleanse your hands." If you have ever worked with kids, you know many of them don't know how to wash their hands. It's nasty. Their hands have dirt, grime, and germs all over them. They need help to clean them.
We also need help to clean our hands from sin. We try to be righteous and follow God, but we fall short. That's why Jesus died: to cleanse us from our sin. We need to draw near to him. We need to learn about him. We need to try to stop sinning, so our hearts stay clean and pure.
See, purity applies to all areas of life. Are we pure in our actions, our words, our relationships? In our hearts? Some of us act pure and holier-than-thou in our lives. That's not helping the kingdom. We need to be authentic with others. We cannot continue to praise Jesus on Sunday but go on sinning the rest of the week. The double life isn't helping you. It isn't helping spread the Gospel. It isn't helping anything. Purity happens every day, every minute, every second. Purity is a choice.
So, are you living a double life? Are you practicing purity? How can you open a conversation on purity today?
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