City Life Starter

Written by Paul Lane

The Word

^“3 But fornication and all uncleanness or covetousness, let it not even be named among you, as is fitting for saints; ⁴ neither filthiness, nor foolish talking, nor coarse jesting, which are not fitting, but rather giving of thanks.”

Ephesians 5:3-4 (NKJV)

“You brood of vipers, how can you, being evil, speak what is good? For the mouth speaks out of that which fills the heart.”

Matthew 12:34 (NASB

¹⁰ Create in me a clean heart, O God, And renew a steadfast spirit within me. ¹¹ Do not cast me away from Your presence, And do not take Your Holy Spirit from me.

Psalms 51:10-11 (NKJV)

Reflection

Innocence is not something much sought after by the “in crowd.”  Nor is modesty, purity, and most of all holiness.  Of course, these things do not operate like their counterparts. “Hey guys, let’s get together this weekend and be pure!” vs “Hey guys, let’s get together this weekend and be impure!” You see, purity is the thing, the good. Impurity is the corruption or the spoiling of the thing, or the good.  So, if you want to be pure, have a clean heart, it will be a matter of removing corruption. Maintaining a clean heart in a dirty world means that this cleaning process most go on all of the time.

Think of your heart as if it were a pool of polluted water. If you just skim the water and remove surface dirt, it is true that the pool would be less dirty. But to really get it clean you will probably have to empty it, scrub the bottom and walls, and then refill it with clean water. This is not a weekend process. It takes multiple steps and a dedication to get the whole thing clean.  If you want to keep your pool clean you need to have an ongoing process of cleaning, scrubbing, emptying, and refilling.

It is also interesting that Paul puts giving thanks on one side and filthiness, foolish talk, and inappropriate jesting on the other.  So, you can either be a thankful person or you can be a filthy, foolish, and inappropriate person. I think this, again, is because they are not of the same nature.  Or another way to think of it is that your heart works a certain way.  If it is pure, your heart will by nature be thankful, hopeful, and faithful. Notice the “full” at the end of each of those words. However, if your heart is impure, the proper functioning of our heart will be interrupted, and it will be filthy, foolish, and inappropriate.

Application

I know that Paul is writing to Christian believers, but one argument that God is making, via the Bible, is that the rules for life given in the Bible are the best for life. This does not mean that you will be the richest, the smartest, or even the most famous. It means that you will be using your life in accordance with the manufacturer’s recommended instructions. So, when the world says, “Hey guys, let’s get together and not change the oil in our cars for the next 10 years!” then perhaps it would be better to follow the instructions after all.

Prayer

Dear Lord, today I confess that I have not followed your instructions. I have stubbornly held on to my filth, my foolish talk, and my inappropriate behavior. Lord, I ask that You cleanse my heart, renew my mind, and fill me with your Holy Spirit. To the praise of Your glory and grace. Amen.