Keeping Our Way Pure

October 2

(Psalm 119:7-10 NIV) “I will praise you with an upright heart as I learn your righteous laws. {8} I will obey your decrees; do not utterly forsake me. {9} How can a young man keep his way pure? By living according to your word. {10} I seek you with all my heart; do not let me stray from your commands.”

(Philippians 1:9-11 NIV) “And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, {10} so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless until the day of Christ, {11} filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ--to the glory and praise of God.”

Never mistake the inability to obey God perfectly as carte blanche to live licentiously. God’s call to purity does not diminish with the acceptance of God’s grace. Instead, it increases the incentive to live above sin to the best of our ability. We who believe are called to keep our way pure. We can go a long way toward reaching this goal if we live according to the word of God and seek Him with all our heart. The word is a lamp for our feet. In this dark world it lights our way and keeps us from stumbling. As our knowledge of God grows, we will develop depth and breadth in our Christian walk. We gain discernment as our relationship with Christ deepens. Our hearts become more upright as our love for God grows and we seek to do His will more than our own. This is the process of becoming a disciple of Jesus. This is the road to giving glory and praise to God. This is our calling. -- Friar Tuck’s Word of the Day