Staying Clean in a Dirty World

1 Timothy 5:22 – “Lay hands suddenly on no man, neither be partaker of other men’s sins: keep thyself pure.”

In this age of immorality, filthy speech, and pornography, purity is almost an unknown virtue. While God knows that we cannot withdraw from life, but of necessity must rub elbows with many who are on the broad way that leads to destruction, He does expect His children to keep themselves “unspotted from the world” (James 1:27). It is very important that we maintain our personal holiness to be a witness for the Lord.

One day a young pastor was being escorted through a coal mine. At the entrance of one of the dim passages, he spied a beautiful white flower growing out of the blackened earth. “How can it blossom in such white purity and radiance in this dirty mine?” the preacher asked. “Throw some coal dust on it and see for yourself,” his guide replied.
When he did, he was surprised that the fine, sooty particles slid right off of the beautiful white petals, leaving the plant just as lovely an unstained as before. Its surface was so smooth that the grit and grime could not stick to it.

Dear Christian, our hearts and lives should have the same characteristic. Just as that flower could not control its habitat, so we cannot help it that we have to live in a world filled with evil. But God’s grace can keep us so clean and unspotted that though sin abounds all around us, it will not cling to us.

If we want the Lord’s blessing and approval, we must heed His admonition to…”keep thyself pure” (1 Tim.5:22). By the cleansing power of His Word and the sanctifying power of the Holy Spirit, it is possible for the Christian to remain “clean in a dirty world.”