C: Chaste

“Chaste”

‘Morally pure in thought or conduct; decent and modest.’

Titus 2:5 (NLT)

“…to live wisely and be pure, to care for their homes, to do good, and to be submissive to their husbands. Then they will not bring shame on the word of God.”

Let’s face it – there isn’t much in our society that is modest. If we look carefully in just the right places we might find something decent. And morally pure anything is a rare specimen. If someone asked me if I was chaste, I would have to answer, “Yesterday afternoon I was – for about 20 minutes!” Seriously, turn on your radio or go to the movies and you quickly download a plethora of less than moral content into your mind and spirit. Just let someone cut you off on the interstate and all of a sudden moral conduct is nowhere near cognitive recognition! But yet, this is what God tells us is beautiful.

            I think we can get a clearer picture of the beauty God is talking about if we consider our own ideals of beauty. We grow up surrounded by magazines and posters and billboards of exceptionally beautiful women. But consider how quickly these women are dismissed and their attraction diminishes when we discover their immoral activity behind closed doors? There just has to be more to beauty and we all know it. God keeps trying to tell us and we keep trying to duck the truth. Sometimes the things God tells us will make us beautiful just seem way too hard. Being chaste is certainly one of them.

There is a great responsibility according to Titus 2:5 that is required of all of us. It is not simply for our own benefit or even our family’s benefit to be chaste. We bear the great responsibility of reflecting God’s word through our actions. We must be diligent in our effort to be chaste and when we fall short – to keep trying. If we don’t even try we are in danger of bringing great shame on God’s word and presenting Him a liar to those around us.

“Lord, you are not a liar. I am grateful to you for your word and I want to do everything I can to present a chaste example to those around me. Help me to be strong and show me ways to increase my beauty in this way to You.” Amen

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