Live clean, innocent lives

Live clean, innocent lives as children of God, shining like bright lights in a world full of crooked and perverse people. Hold firmly to the word of life; then, on the day of Christ's return, I will be proud that I did not run the race in vain and that my work was not useless. Philippians 2:15b-16

When people hear that I've never been drunk or used drugs, often their mouths fall open and they stare at me, speechless. "I didn't know that was possible in today's world," they say. By God's grace, my teenager sees this kind of lifestyle and it influences him to live a clean life.

Paul encourages us to be shining lights for a world of crooked and perverse people. If those words were true a mere thirty years after Christ's ascension, how much more accurate are they today? Crooked and perverse people surround us.

The way you live sets you apart. The seeds you plant by living free of the entrapments of the world have power and faith that many people will witness. Your spouse. Your children. Other children. Co-workers. People you might never know. You get one life and one race for God. Don't run it in vain.

How do you live your life? Are you innocent as a child? Are you engaged in worldly pursuits?
Father, when we're faced with temptation to live as the world does, remind us to live clean and innocent. Please show us how our lives affect others and how they see you. In Jesus' name, Amen.