Pastor's Corner

In a large, unfamiliar crowd a fellow pointed to a stranger and said to his wife, "That's got to be Tom's son. He looks just like him!" He was right. It's possible to meet a stranger and get the sense you know whose family they are a part of without a word being said.

They may have a strong resemblance of their dad's eyes, a likeness of their mom's smile, or a distinct shape of the family nose. There are also identifiable characteristics in the family of God.

We express the Father's nature through our love for Him and one another, faithfulness, peace, joy, and an eagerness to acknowledge Jesus as our Savior. Yet there is another family characteristic in God's family: purity. The Bible speaks about the innocence and purity of a child of God. Though we are tempted with all kinds of things, we prayerfully present our minds, hearts, and bodies in yieldedness to the Lord, resisting temptation and embracing purity in thought, motive, and deed. Because that is His plan for us, He strengthens us for it.

We're not to even be beginners when it comes to impurity. Our sins are washed away by the blood of Christ and we belong to Him. We are new creations!

The Bible says, "I want you to be wise about what is good and innocent about what is evil" Rom. 16:19. The Bible says Jesus "gave Himself for us to redeem us from all wickedness and to purify for Himself a people that are His very own, eager to do what is good" Titus 2:14.

Purity is a family characteristic in the family of God. We are His very own! When we stumble and acknowledge it to Him in repentance, He forgives us, 1 John 1:9.

Pastor Greg Brownell,

Dayton United Brethren Church