By John Remaniak · Business Manager
You are priceless. Internalize that statement. Both the God of infinite goodness and a demonic being of tireless insanity are in pursuit of you. Both have been wanting your soul from before you were conceived.
But that infinite life-giving God, not the evil of pride, bought us with his blood so we could be his sons and daughters. That is our identity and should be the source of purity.
We fail to live up to this identity on our own. We are still met with our tendencies to will happiness away from our creator. We choose sin. Fully knowing our fallen nature, God gives many ways for sinners to fix their hearts on him.
The pursuit of God leads to the secondary benefit of avoiding the occasions of sin. Simply fleeing from sin is commendable, but to do it for the sake of fear will not lead one to God.
One should wish not to make himself vulnerable to sin because of his pursuit of God. For the purpose of transforming our imperfections and corrupt wills, God bestows his free grace.
Being like Christ should be our discipline, so who and what we surround ourselves with matter. Their time, opinions and disciplines matter. The people in our lives do not define our identity, but they do inform it in play, studies and prayer. People are meant to be in community, desiring intimacy in thought and emotional bonds with one another.
Purity is reflected in how one can hope to see oneself in the mirror or sometimes in the view of others. Let the cloud of witnesses be one’s model and inspiration.
Temptations are still coming. Little habits matter. The goal of conforming one’s thoughts to holy things is commendable. Whatever is true, noble, right, pure, lovely, excellent and praiseworthy, as Saint Paul describes to the Philippians, is a start. If one conforms his thoughts to those virtues strongly, his actions will follow.
The ability to choose to live purely under this identity must also be emphasized, for freedom also comes in purity. The freedom of thought and action that comes from knowing God is humility and submission, while simultaneously recognizing we don’t know better.
The distractions of modern society lead to an inward and empty enjoyment. These distractions serve a culture that avoids pain and seeks pleasure. They numb us into a posture of loneliness, disjointed connections and an unhealthy comparison of gifts. Doubt overshadows all of these.
Entertainment has a capacity for good, but one should restrict empty viewership. Would you let yourself, as a child, have apple juice mixed with poison? Then consume your media accordingly and let entertainment be a source of purity that raises your standards. Give that child the apple juice mixed with water to fill that desire for more.
Years of historical spiritual development show it’s best to examine your conscience, your daily internal and external habits and one-time actions.
Do they glorify your identity in Christ? Reconciliation of these habits and self-reflection in the right posture can only turn oneself closer to God in our fragile and broken state.
This reliance on Christ is magnified by His free grace, glorifying your priceless identity in Him.
