These are thoughts from my book Spit and Polish for Husbands:
- A knight keeps himself pure in thought and deed, rejecting association with influences that would cause other people to perceive stain in his character. In other words, he abstains from all appearance of evil.
Although there will always be someone willing to accuse us of wrongdoing, we knights must be careful never to give our enemies a real reason to call our character into question. This application is sometimes obvious: we don’t meet our friends at strip clubs, we stay away from bars, and we never wear T-shirts with questionable printed messages such as “Surf Naked” or “So Many Girls, So Little Time.”
“But I have liberty in Christ,” a person may retort. “I’m free to do what I want as long as I stay away from real sin.” Yes, a strong Christian is free, but he must balance freedom with responsibility. We are not called to serve ourselves in our liberty, but to be beacons fueled by true purity, so that, as the Scripture says, “that you may prove yourselves to be blameless and innocent, children of God above reproach in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you appear as lights in the world” (Philippians 2:15).
We are to reflect to the world what we really are in our hearts, holy and pure. Our ability to remain unstained in this culture is the light that will draw other people to God. Why risk destroying our reputations by pursuing “freedoms” that are worthless in comparison to guiding someone toward the kingdom of God?
What about our wives? We vowed complete faithfulness to them. Do we display an aura of availability? Do we flirt? Do we spend one-on-one time with other women? Our duty as knights is to keep our armor spotless by abstaining from anything that would soil our reputation. The light we shine is easily dimmed in the eyes of others.
In short, we live holy lives because of those whom we love–God and those to whom we have vowed our faithfulness.
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Categories: Thoughts from the Heart
I love the “beacons fueled by true purity” word picture. It makes me think of a lighthouse. Jesus said, “Let your light shine before men, that they may see your good words and glorify your Father in Heaven.” It’s all about serving God by serving others. If we live selfishly, how can people see our Savior?