2 Timothy: ²

²¹ Those who cleanse themselves from the latter will be instruments for special purposes, made holy, useful to the Master and prepared to do any good work.²² Flee the evil desires of youth and pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace, along with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart.
How can we remain pure in a world driven by greed, sex and power?

People spend their lives obsessing over how they can get what they want. They think about ways to earn the promotion, acquire more wealth and achieve the status and respect they crave. Fewer people appear to be driven to achieve purity.

I believe that our relationship with God suffers when we treat purity as a ‘would be nice’ endeavour. God still loves us whilst we maintain dirty habits and filthy attitudes, however we miss out on the freedom that comes with cleansing our hearts and minds of all the mess. I know there are times in my life when I’ve strived for perfection and fallen at the first hurdle so I have come to the conclusion that I must pursue purity rather than trying to achieve perfection. I will stumble and fall in my quest to be more like Jesus, but I shouldn’t adopt a defeatist attitude that if I fall once I should just stay in the mud.

Being humble can hurt momentarily like ripping off a bandaid, but will not lead to lasting pain. The Bible encourages us to confess our sins to one another and whilst it can be difficult to acknowledge shameful actions or thoughts with another human, you may be carrying the shame alone unless you do. The various times in my life when I’ve shared my struggles and sin with other Christians, I’ve been blessed by support and encouragement.

God resists the proud and exalts the humble.

Andy Baker, Chief Enthusiast, Homegrown Worship