1 Timothy 5:22.."Lay hands
suddenly on no man, neither be a partaker of
other men's sins: keep thyself pure."
These are words to live by. To better understand
what Paul is telling Timothy, you must first read
Chapter 3:2-13, giving special attention to verse
10. In the book of 1 Timothy, Paul gave Timothy, an
evangelist, the charge of
raising up leaders in the church in Ephesus and
delegating duties. The qualifications for
positions of leadership are found in verses 2-13.
This transfer of authority was done by the laying
on of hands. Paul is cautioning Timothy not to be
rash in these ordinations because some men's sins
are not immediately evident but become so later.
Verse 10 states that these men should first be
proven and then allowed to occupy these offices
of leadership. In ordaining certain men, Timothy
was attaching himself, unknowingly, to their sin.
Timothy's focus on his responsibilities may have
been impaired by a preoccupation with his often
infirmities of verse 22.
You ask, "But, David, how does
this relate to me?" Simply put,
the whole Bible teaches the concept of sowing and
reaping. Throughout our lives we are constantly
attaching ourselves to either people or things.
As we do so, we reap back
either in a positive or negative way. If we
attach ourselves to people or things that glorify
God, we reap positively. If we attach ourselves
to people or things that do not glorify God,
well……you tell me? Are you endangering
your eternal well-being by people, things, or
practices you have attached yourself
to……or become involved
with……or in?
Three areas of our Christian
walk:
Justification
Consecration
Sanctification
If you have received
Jesus Christ as your own personal Savior and made
Him Lord over your life, then you have been made justified
by what Christ Jesus did on the cross. You have
also been consecrated,
or set apart, for God's purposes.
Sanctification
is what The Purity Ring is all about. This is the
area wherein you will now spend the rest of your
life….being sanctified, or purified. You
have heard the expression, "You
can take the boy out of the country, but you
can't take the country out of the boy."
Well, consecration
is God's taking the boy out of the country. Sanctification
is God's taking the country out of the boy. This purification will take the rest of our lives. Upon
becoming a Christian, we often find ourselves
starting to avoid particular habits and practices
that were once very commonplace in our lives. Can you
think of some? Other habits, practices, ways of
thinking, etc., take longer to eliminate. Some
will take a lifetime! However, we have God's word
that He will complete the good work He has
started in us. Take this time to think about your
own habits and practices. What habits and
practices do you need to eliminate? Remember...abstinence
doesn't produce purity, but purification will produce abstinence!
Ask God to
purify your heart in all areas so that your life
will glorify Him.
The Purity Ring serves as a constant reminder of
the sanctification
God is doing in our lives. It also reminds us
that we are not yet perfect, but with a lifetime
of purification, we will be! Until then, however,
remember that Christ Jesus not only paid for our
sins at the cross, but also our sinful nature -- that is, all
those things deep within us that we are capable
of committing! Isn't that good news? This is what is so
frustrating to satan. As satan....or our own
sinful nature....leads us into sin, we cannot be
separated from God if we remember to stand in
faith on 1 John 1:9, "If we confess our
sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and
purify us from all unrighteousness."
(NIV) Remember now...this is not a
license to sin! So…get out of your comfort zone and allow God to use YOU to bring the
good news of Jesus Christ to others! Don't focus
on your weaknesses, temptations or shortcomings,
but focus on God's forgiving nature, the strength
of the Holy Spirit, and show them that what Jesus has done for
YOU He has done for everyone.
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