GUARD EVERY MOMENT

In reading 1st Thessalonians 4 this morning I was struct by many things pertaining to holiness. While this specific post will not deal with all of it there is one contrast that is particularly striking. Paul says in verse 7:

"For God has not called us for impurity but in holiness."

This word "impure" speaks of a kind of sexual immorality that is especially dirty. It also refers to anything of a sexual nature that goes beyond marriage as well as sexual sin that is of an abnormal type. There are significant implications here to pornography, homosexuality and a host of other sexual sins, but that is beyond my purpose here. In essence, Paul is telling us that our Holy God has not called us in order that we should be or become impure. We were called in holiness.

What struck me in all of this this morning is a contrast Paul was making in this verse when he says that we are not called to impurity, but in holiness. The language is powerful here. Paul is saying that God has not called us to MOMENTS or even a MOMENT of impurity but to a LIFE of holiness. That's the contrast, moments of sin and life of holiness. This is exactly what I believe Paul intends for us to see in the context of this verse. Every moment belongs to the Lord!

In other words, not one single moment of my life should be yielded to any kind of impurity or sexual immorality be it physical, mental or visual. Paul has made a similar comment in Ephesians 5:3 when he said,

"But sexual immorality and all impurity or coveteousness must not even be named

among you, as is proper among the saints."

These sins which should not even be hinted at as being true of us, certainly should not be present in our moments. There is, therefore, the need to GUARD EVERY MOMENT of my day in an effort to guard my LIFE of holiness. We cannot be casual about these things because a moment, at the most, can be destructive and disastrous. It only, truly, takes a moment! At the least, a moment can lead to other moments which, in succession, build a habit or lifestyle of sin.

Therefore, it is imperative that we guard our moments each day to ensure that they are wrapped in, defined by and consistent with a life of holiness in the Lord and before others. Where we fail, we should repent at that moment. His grace is still sufficient. Yet, that we fight to guard every moment, with the help of the Holy Spirit, should be the beginning focus of our day.