purity

John invited his mother over for dinner. During the course of the meal, his mother couldn't help but notice how attractive John's roommate was. She had long been suspicious of a relationship between John and his roommate, and this only made her more curious.

Over the course of the evening, while watching the two interact, she started to wonder if there was more between John and his roommate than met the eye. Reading his mom's thoughts, John volunteered, "I know what you must be thinking, but I assure you Julie and I are just roommates."

About a week later, Julie came to John saying, "Ever since your mother came to dinner I've been unable to locate the gravy ladle. You don't suppose she took it, do you?"

John said, "Well, I doubt it, but I'll write her an email just to be sure."

So he sat and wrote: "Dear Mother: I'm not saying that you 'did' take the gravy ladle from my house, I'm not saying that you 'did not' take gravy ladle. But the fact remains that one has been missing ever since you were here for dinner."

Several hours later, John received the following email from his mother: "Dear Son: I'm not saying that you 'do' sleep with Julie, and I'm not saying that you 'do not' sleep with Julie. But the fact remains that if she was sleeping in her own bed, she would have found the gravy ladle by now! Love Mom!"

Though it is not a very popular stance in our society, God's Word still calls us to a life of sexual purity. The apostle Paul has some strong words in I Corinthians regarding sexual sin. He offers the following as one of our motivations for a pure life:

"Flee sexual immorality. Every sin that a man does is outside the body, but he who commits sexual immorality sins against his own body. Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own? For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God's." (I Cor. 6:18-20)

May you live this day mindful of the "temple" God intends for you to be.