By: Shane James O’Neill
provEn: Eternal In Perspective
When it comes to purity there are two ways we should always keep perspective:
- You are not the center of eternity
- Eternity is on your side
The Holiday Season
Holiday seasons are a unique time in the purity calendar (that’s not an actual calendar, in case you were about to google it…).
For the student, school lets up so there is idle time and a longing for self-reward; for the spouse and parent, there are added stresses of travel, kids, finances, etc.; for the single person, this holiday season will remind us about how alone we are. What’s wild is that the porn industry knows it, and they rev up their marketing and porn output so that they can be there to catch you when you fall — as you fall into the idle time, the stress, and the loneliness of the holidays.
The Good News
Let’s take another look at those two perspectives within the context of the holidays:
- You’re not the savior of your time, of those around you, or of yourself. If you fail, let Him catch you. Don’t get stuck in the awful cycle of failure; where you watch porn, can’t look at God, feel like crap, and turn to porn to feel better. That doesn’t pay out. I promise. Proverbs 24:16 says that, “Though the righteous fall seven times, they rise each time. But one disaster is enough to overthrow the wicked.” In this passage, we are taught a righteousness of rising. If you fall will you believe in God’s love or choose to punish yourself all over again? You’re not the center of the universe, get up. Jesus is only ever holding His hand out to you, promising to make you a new creation. His cross and empty tomb have purchased and won that for you. Life doesn’t fall apart when you do, and neither does Jesus — get up.
- You don’t have to fall, at all. Jesus invites you into a narrative of rest, but not idleness; the gifts of family and His birth, but take time to be still and give Him the stress of it all; the gift and flexibility of singleness, but not the isolation of loneliness. Jesus paid His life so that you could be His home, His temple. Romans 6:13 says, “Do not offer any part of yourself to sin as an instrument for wickedness, but rather offer yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life; and offer every part of yourself to him as an instrument of righteousness.” Instrument of righteousness — I think that’s pretty amazing. Jesus’ cross and empty tomb have given us the Spirit to live through death — and the power to overcome the chaos of lust. Eternity is on your side.
This holiday season, know the grace to stand firm; if we fall, let’s know the grace to stand up. Don’t go through a season about remembering Jesus, without knowing Jesus.
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Shane James O’Neill is the Editorial Director for ProvenMen Ministries. He is currently working on a graduate degree in apologetics at Liberty University’s Rawling School of Divinity.