Winning AttitudesHalimbawa
Winning Attitude 6 - Purity
Purity in any form is often aspired for, rarely attained. Purity of heart or soul in Greek is Katharos, meaning, clean, blameless and unstained from guilt. We are declared pure, because of the work of JESUS to sanctify us through His blood, when we give our hearts to Jesus. We remain pure, subsequently, by an ongoing commitment and lifestyle.
The minute we “accept Christ”, we acknowledge our hopelessly sinful nature and surrender to His cleansing action. Acknowledgment has to be accompanied by an attitude which is willing to choose a lifelong path away from sinful influences and in line with God’s personal plan for us. There are many who acknowledge but few who choose. It is only these few who are cleansed. The cleansing is possible by His blood which makes us spotless, with a clean sheet to start with. The tough part is to put forward all efforts to keep this sheet clean.
The essence of purity is “spotlessness”, no tolerance for the smallest stain. Tolerance levels in this century are going up as moral barriers are breaking down. Demands for acceptance of blatant sins scream out to us through media, peers, etc. Before we realize it, Satan has penetrated areas of our mind that have trespassed into previously forbidden areas of compromise. On one hand, we judge some people too quickly; on the other, we tolerate others too generously. Only the light of the word and responsiveness to the Spirit gradually reveals our own hypocrisy and helps us to discern. We realize sin in our hearts we have never known before and recognize the need to draw boundaries in areas that have slowly sneaked out of God’s will – in our lives, in the lives of those around. Then we need to stand for these boundaries.
So how do we couple love with zero tolerance? “Hate the sin and love the sinner” is easier said than done. For this again, we need to be emptied of our sinful habits and filled with Christ, His Word and His Spirit.
Then comes the best part. We get to “see God”. We get to enjoy unique and new perceptions of God in different forms. We get a sneak peek into a new and wonderful world led by our Saviour, beyond our wildest imagination. That world is here today and growing into a full-fledged Kingdom of God of the future when we can see God face to face.
Do we dare choose purity? Are we beginning to see God?
Banal na Kasulatan
Tungkol sa Gabay na ito
What constitutes happiness? Success? Love? Material gain? A combination? These are mere perceptions. Often just when people achieve their perception of happiness, it eludes them yet again. Jesus clearly spells out the essence of true, deep soul happiness or blessedness. He defines blessedness, which never disappoints and is life transformational. It radiates through disappointments and disasters. It lifts our spirits and of those around us every time, in every situation.
More