The rewards of purity

I Timothy 3:2,3,7: “A bishop then must be blameless, the husband of one wife, vigilant, sober, of good behaviour, given to hospitality, apt to teach; Not given to wine, no striker, not greedy of filthy lucre; but patient, not a brawler, not covetous; Moreover he must have a good report of them which are without; lest he fall into reproach and the snare of the devil”.

Some people do not consider immorality as sin. They think we who believe this are out of date, puritanical, and have an old-fashion interpretation of God. This we see in Hollywood, modern novels, television, magazines, advertising techniques, and even community practices.
There are many blessings which we can gain out of pure living such as happiness, success, honour, and eternal life. We can as well lose these, if we live an impure life. Gal.6:7: “Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap”. God’s provisions are abundant but the choice is ours.
Purity makes you worthy of the best in life. The pure deserve good, pure and noble life companion; best children, good jobs and responsible tasks.
Purity makes you trustworthy. You gain full confidence hence no misery, no distrust, no suspicion, and no trouble. Purity inspires confidence in the whole of your life as we see in proverbs 31:10,11: “Who can find a virtuous woman? for her price is far above rubies. The heart of her husband doth safely trust in her, so that he shall have no need of spoil”. And proverbs 6:32,33: “But whoso committeth adultery with a woman lacketh understanding: he that doeth it destroyeth his own soul. A wound and dishonour shall he get; and his reproach shall not be wiped away”.
Purity qualifies you for Christian service. We read in 1Timothy 3:2,3,7 that purity is a prime requirement to qualify for leadership in Church. This we also see in Titus 1:7,8: “For a bishop must be blameless, as the steward of God; not selfwilled, not soon angry, not given to wine, no striker, not given to filthy lucre; But a lover of hospitality, a lover of good men, sober, just, holy, temperate;”. This is the same in community services and business world and many have disqualified themselves from these because of impurity.
Purity gives one true perspectives of values. The pure do not look back with regret. Sin weakens the will, distorts the vision, and enslaves the body. Impurity therefore blinds one to reality and the Bible warns against blindmness. Ephesians 4:17-19: “This I say therefore, and testify in the Lord, that ye henceforth walk not as other Gentiles walk, in the vanity of their mind, Having the understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God through the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart: Who being past feeling have given themselves over unto lasciviousness, to work all uncleanness with greediness.”
Purity strengthens one physically, mentally, and spiritually. Must physical and mental illnesses are caused by impurity. Thoses practicing impurity do it in secret and it damages their consciences and often starts a chain of events that finally brings mental illnesses. The spiritual life is damaged because of the practice of sin.
Purity gives one real joy and happiness.
Purity gives you the best people for your friends. Note that “Birds of a feather flock together”. We are known by the kind of friends we have.
Purity helps God’s program. The pure are partners with God, they are on the side of righteousness and they are a benefit to society. The impure are instruments in Satan’s program of damning and destroying our world.
Purity is all gain, with nothing to lose. It is gain in time and eternity with no regrets, no misery and no suffering as a result of sinful sowing. Keep yourself pure. The pure shall enter heaven Psalm 24:3,4: “Who shall ascend into the hill of the LORD? or who shall stand in his holy place? He that hath clean hands, and a pure heart; who hath not lifted up his soul unto vanity, nor sworn deceitfully”. Jesus says in matthew 5:8 that “Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God.” If you are guilty of the sin of immorality, either by thought or deed, God waits to cleanse you from it if you are sincere enough to ask God for forgiveness. God says that we should come and reason together with him: Isa 1:18 “Come now, and let us reason together, saith the LORD: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool”. How can we reason together with God? We have to be in relationship with him. We must create this relationship in order to reason with God; and He has promised us that he will cleanse us from our sins. He also would not only remove our sins but also to keep it away from us; He will never remember this against us as we see in Psalms:103:10-12: “He hath not dealt with us after our sins; nor rewarded us according to our iniquities. For as the heaven is high above the earth, so great is his mercy toward them that fear him. As far as the east is from the west, so far hath he removed our transgressions from us”. We only get this when we turn away from our sinful life.