Devotional #17 (part 13 of 1 Timothy 4:12 study)

Good morning, ladies! I hope all of you enjoyed a restful weekend and blessed Lord's Day! We have now come to the very last devotional in our devotional study of 1 Timothy 4:12("Let no one despise your youth but be an example to the believers in word, in conduct, in love, in spirit, in faith, in purity")! I can't believe this is the end of it already! If you have not been able to read the previous devotionals in this series, please do so now, by clicking here.

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We have been on the purity aspect of this verse for a while now. I want to end this series by writing a devotional for all of you ladies who may have already compromised in some aspect of your purity. I want you to know that none of us is perfect! All of us make mistakes and all of us have sinned and fallen short of the glory of Almighty God! But, there is forgiveness to be found, dear sister in Christ! Even if you have not upheld the standard of purity that we ought to live by according to Ephesians 5, there is a second chance for you! It is never too late to go to the Lord in repentance! 1 John 1:9 is a beautiful verse which says, "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." Despite what you may have done, dear sister, or how much guilt and despair you feel, there is forgiveness for you! Just go to the Lord and ask Him wholeheartedly for His blessed forgiveness. He will grant it to you and will make you whole and pure again.

1 Corinthians 6:11 says, "And such were some of you. But you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of our God." If you have been forgiven and sanctified, this means you have been set apart from the world(this is the actual meaning of the word sanctified). You may have led an impure lifestyle before, but you have now been sanctified and cleansed and are not to enter in again to that old lifestyle. Your sins of impurity have been forgiven, and you are to now live by the standard of purity found in Ephesians 5(please refer to the previous devotionals on purity). Follow the tips in this devotional, and ask the Lord for the strength to resist temptation in the future. 1 Corinthians 10:13 offers us much comfort, "No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it." The Lord promises to offer the much needed strength to flee from and resist temptation!

As you can see, dear sister, there is forgiveness and a second chance to be found despite what impurity you may have committed. Take hold of Christ, and He will give you the strength to resist future temptation. Thank the Lord for His forgiveness, and now begin living by the glorious standard of purity which the Lord God has given us in Ephesians 5.

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Well, we have now reached the end of the 1 Timothy 4:12 devotional study! I pray that it has been an encouragement to you and has given you strength to live out your life for the glory of God, so that you may be an example to the believers. Always ask the Lord for His strength so that you might be an example to the believers in word, in conduct, in love, in spirit, in faith and in purity. Take your job and responsibility as role model so very very seriously! Ask the Lord for help in this important area! God bless you all, dear sisters in Christ, as you strive to be the examples God has called you to be!

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Please return on Wednesday for our next devotional. It'll be strange to not be writing about 1 Timothy 4:12 anymore! I'll have to come up with another verse to have a devotional on! Pray that the Lord will reveal to me exactly what He wants me to cover in the next devotional. And, dear ladies, don't forget to vote on the poll to the right of your screen! There's only about a week left to vote, so be sure to place your vote before the time runs out! :)

Blessings,

Rebekah