Teens

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My son was nervous on this Sunday morning. Never liking to be the center of attention, he didn’t treasure the idea of being in front of everyone during the service, but the promise he was making this morning was one that would also be a wonderful testimony and important to be witnessed by the congregation. For his fourteenth birthday, he asked for a purity ring for one of his gifts. The pastor prepared a special ceremony for the occasion and by the end of the service, both men and women were found wiping tears away! It reminded me of a wedding service, except the ring on his finger was a commitment between him and the Lord

School stories from my son helped me recognize how hard it is to be a teen these days and what a huge step he was making to stand apart from the masses and dare to be different. What he committed to was to remain pure for Christ. He committed to keep his body pure when dating, and to abstain from drugs and alcohol. The ring will serve as a constant reminder of his commitment to Christ and his promise to remain pure.

When he accepted Jesus Christ as his personal Savior, he was justified (acquitted, declared innocent) by what Jesus did for him on the cross. Jesus consecrated (set apart) him for His purposes. The purity ring on his finger is just an outward symbol of that consecration (and I believe it’s an awesome conversation starter for sharing his beliefs!). Yes, he still sins and is not perfect, but this lifetime journey that he’s on is exciting to me because he made a commitment of purity so young in his life.

Even when satan tempts us into sinning, or we think up our own sinful ideas, we can NEVER be separated from God! I 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) However, remember this isn’t a license to keep sinning as satan sometimes tries to deceive people into thinking.

Are you up to the challenge to get out of your comfort zone and swim upstream? Forget your past. Don’t focus on your weaknesses or shortcomings. Focus on the fact that God loves you. God forgives you and God’s waiting to work THROUGH you. And I also like to think that God uses me despite myself at times! A lifetime of purity for God is a process, maybe sometimes stumbling, but never falling because God is right beside you and won’t let you fall.

Psalm 86:11 “Teach me your ways, O Lord, that I may live according to your truth! Grant me purity of heart, so that I may honor you.”

I Timothy 4:12 “Don’t let anyone think less of you because you are young. Be an example to all believers in what you say, in the way you live, in your love, your faith, and your purity.”

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