I’ve got a question for my male readers today: Are you a man of purity?
What does this mean? What kind of purity am I speaking about?
Let’s delve into Scripture for some answers. In I Corinthians 16:13-14, we read this exhortation: “Watch, stand fast in the faith, be brave, be strong. Let all that you do be done with love” (NKJV).
Now, this is not a passage that is written specifically to men, but we see here that in order to be a wise and effective Christian, man or woman, we need to have lives of faith and boldness and strength. We need to be people who have purity of faith. And I believe Christian homes need men to lead them with humility and grace.
How do we attain lives of purity? We must be daily grounding ourselves in God’s Word through Bible study, prayer, communion with God and compassionate, Spirit-led living toward others.
I’m afraid that there are many Christians today who attend church and talk the talk of Christianity, but do not allow God to lead their lives through daily study of His Word and through sacrificial living. These are frequently the Christians who express disappointment in their lives and even in God.
In our passage, Paul is telling us to ground ourselves in God’s Word, to stand firm on His Word and His promises and we will have amazing lives of strength. Listen, my friends, we are powerless to live holy lives, to overcome temptation and to lead our families well unless we are daily getting alone with the Lord and to allow Him to minister to our hearts and to direct our paths.
Notice something here. Paul was writing this passage to Christians living in Corinth, which was a very pagan city. And I think the Christians living there could identify with the cultural activities of our day here in America. Today, we must stand amid a culture that is constantly trying to pull the church further and further into itself. And many are following. But we can’t allow that to happen to us. We must be living apart from the culture and standing firm on God’s Word, humbly calling people to faith in Jesus Christ.
Romans 12:2 tells us “And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.”
If we are truly transformed as this passage describes, we will be faithful, dependable, honest, forthright, good neighbors, godly parents and/or grandparents. The world needs to look at us and see people of character who live joyously and in full dependence on Jesus Christ. Does the world see you this way? Does it see me this way? We need to constantly be protecting our testimonies and calling out to God to lead us, protect us and guide us so that we are being good stewards and godly leaders.
Our children need to see dads and moms who love Jesus.
Finally, this is not popular discourse, but I’m just going to say it: Men, we need to be leading our homes with prayerful hearts, humble spirits and total dependence on the Lord. I read studies all the time showing how Christian men are not properly leading at home and I believe that’s a big reason why our nation is struggling. We need to be leaders, men of godly purpose, dear friends. Our families need to see Christ shining through us at all times. Let’s agree to be men of faith, men of God’s Word and men of purity as we lead in our homes, our churches and our communities. God bless you, men, as you serve Him.