You can be pure in an evil-smudged world.

be pure

Today we look at one of God’s ways that is most not our way, but it is perfectly good and desirable once we come to our senses.

Recall again that the theme Scripture of this current series is Isaiah 55:8–9: “My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the LORD. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.”

What that tells us is that we cannot trust our intuitions when it comes to God and his ways. Nor can we trust what popular opinion and media culture say about God and his ways. We can only trust what God has revealed to us about himself and his ways.

What Jesus says

I believe that God has revealed the truth through Jesus and the Bible. And here is what Jesus teaches about God’s countercultural, counterintuitive ways: “Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few.” (Matthew 7:13–14)

What American culture says

Turn on the television and watch for a few hours, or buy some magazines at the grocery store checkout lane and read, or check out the trailers of the top ten movies, and then answer this question: In general, is American culture and the people who drink deeply of it walking on the easy path through the wide gate, or walking on the hard path through the narrow gate?

If we were to shut ourselves off from our culture for one month and devote ourselves to reading the Bible over and over again, we would come to one conclusion: the way of life that American culture generally approves of is not God’s way.

Your big decision

This brings us to a fork in the road. Will we choose to walk in God’s way even though Jesus says it is hard and it is the way chosen by few? Or will we choose to go with the easy flow of the majority even though it is a way God rejects?

Big decision. Because the way of our world appeals to our appetites and desires, and it is smiled upon by people around us. It feels good. It is truly the easy way.

But there is one big problem. God does not approve.

And there is another big problem. In the end the way of the world leads to pain and loss. Its pleasures are temporary.

Choose the way that’s good for you!

All pleasures that God forbids resemble what meth does to an addict.

The Bible says, “Do not be deceived: God is not mocked, for whatever one sows, that will he also reap. For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life. And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up.” (Galatians 6:7–9)

This verse presents a contrast. The ways of the flesh lead to corruption, but the ways of the Holy Spirit lead to eternal life.

God’s ways may not at first feel like the way we want to go—just as a person accustomed to eating a high-sugar, high-salt, processed-food diet recoils from eating healthful, natural food—but eventually we find that God’s pure ways bring true, lasting life. They bring peace, joy, and love. His ways bring hope, righteousness, and strength. They bring health and true happiness to soul and body.

God’s ways versus our ways

God’s ways: “You shall be holy for I am holy” (1 Peter 1:16).

Our ways: You only get one life, so enjoy yourself while you can. There is no such thing as evil. Make your own rules. The dark side is entertaining. Purity is for prudes. If it feels good, do it. Explore. Decide for yourself. No one tells me what to do. Don’t judge me. Express yourself. I do it my way. Have fun. Get it on.

Based on this stark contrast, I leave you with wisdom from the apostle Peter: “Save yourselves from this crooked generation,” (Acts 2:40).