Thursday; January 17

          When I was shoveling the snow out of my driveway last weekend I realized something – I have gotten soft!  For the better part of thirty years I lived in some pretty cold places (often without benefit of a snowblower) and got used to moving snow … I mean LOTS of snow in some pretty extreme conditions.  Having spent most of my childhood years in Florida, it wasn’t as if I inherited a snow shoveling gene or grew up learning and loving snow removal, but as the years progressed I just got used to it.  By the time I left Wyoming a few years ago, being around snow was just no big deal.  Now I fuss and whine at a couple inches of snow!
          While getting used to something can be a blessing, I think it can also be a curse.  Have you ever thought about how much immoral and carnal stuff we have “gotten used to” in our lives?  No, the world has never been a pure place and has always had to deal with immorality, but it does seem that fewer things tend to bother us.  It is almost like we have grown immune to some of the things that should shock us! 
          While this observation could be met with a lot of agreement, the question is, what are we going to do about it?  How can we shake our immunity to immorality?  I think the first thing we need to do is to remind ourselves that purity is possible by conducting ourselves in such a way that we demonstrate and promote it.  Paul reminded Timothy, “Let no one look down on your youthfulness, but rather in speech, conduct, love, faith and purity, show yourself an example of those who believe.” (I Timothy 4:12).  The second thing we can do is stand up for what is good and right and proper.  I don’t think we need to be obnoxiously pious about it, but when we are exposed to something that is vile and offensive maybe it would do us good to call attention to it as being unfit for public display.  Yes, we might be called old fuddy-duddies, but is that really an insult?
          Think About It!

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