Compiled By: Lisa K Gonzales
From: The Life Application Study Bible
15 “Everything is pure to those whose hearts are pure. But nothing is pure to those who are corrupt and unbelieving, because their minds and consciences are defiled. 16 Such people claim they know GOD, but they deny HIM by the way they live. They are despicable and disobedient, worthless for doing anything good.” ~ Titus 1:15-16
Some people see good all around them, while others see nothing but evil. The difference is – our souls become filters through which we perceive goodness or evil. The pure – those who have Christ in control of their lives – learn to see goodness and purity even in this evil world. But corrupt and unbelieving people find evil in everything because their evil minds and hearts hide even the good they see and hear.
Whatever we choose to fill our minds with will affect the way we think and act. When we turn our thoughts to GOD and HIS Word, we will discover more and more goodness, even in this evil world. A mind filled with good has little room for what is evil. – “And now, dear brothers and sisters, let me say one more thing as I close this letter. Fix your thoughts on what is true and honorable and right. Think about things that are pure and lovely and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise.” Philippians 4:8 – What we put in our minds determines what comes out in our words and actions. Paul tells us to program our minds with thoughts that are true, honorable, right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent, and worthy of praise. We should examine everything we put into our minds through television, books, conversations, movies, and magazines. Then replace harmful input with wholesome material. Above all, we should – if we have not already – incorporate GOD’s Word into our daily “intake”. We can ask GOD to help us focus our minds on what is good and pure. It takes effort and practice, but it can be done.
Many people claim to know GOD, but how can we know if they really do? We may not know for certain, but a glance at their life-style will quickly tell what they value and whether they have ordered their lives around Kingdom principles and priorities. Our conduct speaks volumes about what we believe. – 4 “If someone says, ‘I belong to GOD’, but does not obey GOD’s commandments, that person is a liar and does not live in truth. 5 But those who obey GOD’s Word really do love HIM. That is the way to know whether or not we live in HIM. 6 Those who say they live in GOD should live their lives as Christ did.” – 1 John 2:4-6 – To live as Jesus lived does not mean choosing twelve disciples, performing great miracles, and being crucified. We can not merely copy Christ’s life; much of what Jesus did had to do with His identity as GOD’s Son, the fulfillment of His special role in dying for our sins, and the cultural context of the first-century Roman world. To walk as Christ did, we must obey His teachings and follow His example of complete obedience to GOD and loving service to people. What do people know about GOD and about your faith by watching your life?
Father GOD, we ask that YOU would purify our hearts and cleanse us from within. LORD we want Christ to control our lives and help us see the goodness and purity that is in this evil world. We know that what we put in our minds determines what comes out in our words and actions. We want people to know about YOU, Father GOD, and about our faith buy watching our lives. Help us to fix our thoughts on what is true and honorable and right, and to think about things that are pure and lovely and admirable, and things that are excellent and worthy of praise.
Photo: Surfside Beach (Texas)
Photo By: Lisa K Gonzales
Click on the photo to enlarge
