Devoted: A Girl’s Guide To Good Living With A Great GodSample

"True Purity"

Read Psalm 119:9, Psalm 51

We may be pros at talking the talk, but when it comes down to making right choices, standing blameless before God, pure, humble, and full of fear of the Lord—often, there’s a disconnect. Purity is not a ring, a book, or even a commitment, though all of those can be good things! But without actively maintaining ourselves according to God’s Word (Psalm 119:9), they are only symbols and “good Christian girl” clichés. Purity happens when Jesus in our lives begins to change us and remove the gross filth from our hearts, minds, souls, and spirits. He sanctifies us, meaning He washes us in His truth and in His cleansing, healing blood.

Sins committed in our hearts and minds are still sins to God. He isn’t just evaluating the outward appearance of our lives; He can see every single thought that slips through our minds, and every attitude, desire, motive, and idea that we entertain. We’re being monitored under a whole new level of accountability!

With Jesus, there is always hope, because it’s not us that makes us pure—it’s Jesus in us. First John 1:7 (NASB) says, “If we walk in the Light as He Himself is in the Light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin.” When we become Christians and Jesus enters our hearts, we are made new, whole, and pure! From that point on, Jesus begins His sanctifying work in our lives. 

Even when we mess up, Jesus is there to wash us clean. The story of Jesus washing His disciples’ feet (found in John 13:5–11) is symbolic of how Jesus washes us when we get spiritually “dirty.” In John 13:10 Jesus tells us that we are made clean because of Him (that’s when we become saved), but we still need Him to wash our feet. As we walk through life, our feet can get dirty, and we need Jesus’ constant forgiveness and cleansing blood over our lives.

True purity doesn’t mean we have never sinned. But it does mean that we are clean because of the perfect, spotless Lamb living in our hearts—that’s Jesus, and He’s cleansing, sanctifying, and making us pure as we walk through life with Him. We may get dirty here and there, but Jesus will forgive us if we repent before Him. He is for us.