It's Like A Prom Dress!
Pastor Jim Kilby • July 3, 2023
I was chatting with a young friend the other day who was a bit confused about God's desire for her to remain sexually pure. She felt that such a command was a little out of date, especially considering that most of her friends were sexually active, and because of some advice she'd recently received from a friend's mother. The mom had sat them down and talked about the "birds and the bees," explaining that men were a lot like a prom dresses! "Like a prom dresses?" I asked. She explained that the well meaning mom didn't want them to be stuck with the first guy they fell in love with. "What if you got the dress home and found out it didn't fit right, or it didn't look good on you?" she exclaimed! "You'd be stuck with it! You've got to try on as many as you can and only buy the one that's just perfect for you!" I was speechless... but thank God, only for a moment. I explained that "trying on" as many guys as possible would do more damage to her heart than she could ever imagine, not to mention that she could get a disease that could kill her! God loves us more than we could ever imagine. Why do we continuously walk by "sight" and not by "faith," thinking that we know better than He? Hopefully God's Word will penetrate this young woman's heart before she makes any foolish mistakes. The advice giving mom? I think God will have a special little talk with her one day as well.
"Flee from sexual immorality. All other sins a man commits are outside his body, but he who sins sexually sins against his own body. Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your body." 1 Corinthians 6:18-20
Pastor Jim Kilby
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A buddy of mine and I were sitting outside on the deck when the stars came out one night. We were away from the lights of the nearest city, so the stars looked even brighter than they usually do. While we were both marveling at the awesomeness of God's majesty as the Creator of the heavens, my friend exclaimed that the stars were "even more beautiful when you get away from the 'light pollution'." Of course, he wasn't saying anything about the one true "Light" (that being Jesus) but it made me think that many people probably think of Christianity as "light pollution" in the sense that Christians are the only force on the planet who are truly being driven by the Holy Spirit to slow the decay of society. When people are up to no good, the last thing they want shined on their sin is "Light." The truth is that "Light" and "Pollution" couldn't be further from one another in meaning when you look at them that way. "You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden." Matthew 5:14 Pastor Jim Kilby Your donation spreads good news! www.harvestyouth.org/donate
I couldn't find time to read my Bible or pray today so I don't have a devotional for you. You'll have to open a Bible, read some Scripture and write your own devotional. It's OK; I do it all the time. (And I really did find the time to read and pray, I just thought it would be quite a challenge for you to do things this way. You'll learn more, I guarantee it!) "But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have become convinced of, because you know those from whom you learned it, and how from infancy you have known the holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work." 1 Timothy 3:10:14-17 Pastor Jim Kilby Your donation spreads good news! www.harvestyouth.org/donate
When my kids were little, I asked my four year old son to help his three year old brother change his clothes. No doubt a simple request, but when I looked to see what was keeping things from moving along quickly, I saw the three year old doing everything he could to keep his brother from succeeding. I guess that's the way things typically are with brothers who are close in age, but unfortunately that's the way things can be in the church as well. Being a "brother" or "sister" in Christ means that we don't try to make things hard on one another, but just the opposite. Complaining to your youth pastor about everything he/she plans would be a good example of this. Build people up and try to help them. That's "brotherly love!" "Be devoted to one another in brotherly love. Honor one another above yourselves." Romans 12:10 Pastor Jim Kilby Your donation spreads good news! www.harvestyouth.org/donate
People with a false commitment to God have all types of abilities in the realm of rationalization. They can do almost anything and still decide that "it's okay" because of some concoction in their minds. These delusions are powerful because those who invent them want to believe so badly. If they didn't believe, they'd have to change their ways. Many of the things they love to do would have to be sacrificed. I known many teens that drink to excess, have premarital sex, routinely view pornography, steal, lie and commit all other types of sins. The majority of them are sitting in the church once a week and claiming to "love Jesus." Honestly, is that much different than plotting to kill Jesus and all the while being careful to honor the remainder of Jewish Law? "So Judas threw the money into the temple and left. Then he went away and hanged himself. The chief priests picked up the coins and said, 'It is against the law to put this into the treasury, since it is blood money.' So they decided to use the money to buy the potter's field as a burial place for foreigners. Pastor Jim Kilby Your donation spreads good news! www.harvestyouth.org/donate
There's an old saying that a man should "practice what he/she preaches." I guess most people use the saying as a way to tell other's to mind their own business. The Bible uses almost those same words In Romans, but for a whole different purpose. Often, those who thought themselves religious (as the Jews of that day did) will burden the people around them with all types of religious sounding requirements, but they won't keep those same requirements themselves. This is really important because as Christians we often find ourselves standing up for what's right. If we then are then seen doing what is wrong, God's people (and in some ways God Himself) get a bad name. What's more, our testimony becomes meaningless to those around us and we cannot reach them for God. "you, then, who teach others, do you not teach yourself? You who preach against stealing, do you steal? You who say that people should not commit adultery, do you commit adultery? You who brag about the law, do you dishonor God by breaking the law? As it is written: 'God's name is blasphemed among the Gentiles because of you.'" Romans 2:21-24 Pastor Jim Kilby Your donation spreads good news! www.harvestyouth.org/donate
I used to think worship of Satan required all types of weird cult materials, animal sacrifices and a desire to serve demons and such. I couldn't have been further from the truth. Actually, worship of Satan is a simple thing to fall into. All we need to do is turn our eyes anywhere but toward God and that's essentially what we're doing. Satan helps us fall into worship of him by feeding our desires to worship ourselves. "You have forgotten God your Savior; you have not remembered the Rock, your fortress." Isaiah 17:10 Pastor Jim Kilby Your donation spreads good news! www.harvestyouth.org/donate
I know this will make me seem old and no longer cool, but I like to listen to Christian artists who sing where I can hear and understand their lyrics. Cool or not, it paid off today as I heard a great line in one of Christian artist Bryan Duncan's songs. Honestly, it's a devotional all by itself: The words "Dying to meet you, Jesus!" are still ringing through my ears hours later. I just wonder, am I really dying to meet Him, or am I busy living my life and hoping He's cool with it? "For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will find it." Jesus of Nazareth (Matthew 16:25) Pastor Jim Kilby Your donation spreads good news! www.harvestyouth.org/donate
Many who have committed themselves to follow Jesus have given up material wealth. Probably all have given up friends, and some have even had family relationships splinter because of Him. All, no doubt, have had to look at their sinful lives in the light of who Jesus is, and die to themselves. Those who are unwilling to give up any of these things (and even more) cannot possibly be disciples of Christ. That being said, Jesus himself said that we would be rewarded one day. Some may be surprised to find that one of the rewards we will gain in this life is persecution! James and Peter both echoed the sentiment in their letters to the early churches. As a modern day American, I don't like any type of persecution, and certainly not religious persecution. I feel I have my "rights" and I get really aggravated when they are transgressed. I wonder though, in light of this Scripture, what am I missing when I don't consider my persecution "joy"? "I tell you the truth," Jesus replied, "no one who has left home or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or fields for me and the gospel will fail to receive a hundred times as much in this present age (homes, brothers, sisters, mothers, children and fields--and with them, PERSECUTIONS) and in the age to come, eternal life." Jesus of Nazareth (Mark 10:29-30) (Emphasis mine) Pastor Jim Kilby Your donation spreads good news! www.harvestyouth.org/donate
There's an interesting thing about sexual sin that puts it in a league with very few others. Only a small number of sins seem to be able to in many instances gain near total control of the sinner. I can't tell you the number of times young people (and old ones, too) have told me that they "just can't stop" when it comes to sins of a sexual nature. It's almost like someone who struggles with being overweight. It's not like you can completely give up eating--you can't stop eating, but you CAN do it God's way. You simply have to bring what you eat and how you eat it under God's control. The same thing is true with sex. It's not like a human with blood still pumping through his veins can stop being a sexual being. It's that those sexual desires MUST be brought under God's control. That is to say, they must be conducted according to God's rules and inside of God's timetable. For those who have been "born again" through the indwelling of the Holy Spirit of God, the blood of Christ gives us the power to defeat sin--BUT its power is available only when we prayerfully allow the Spirit the freedom to work in us. We must submit to His authority. When we don't, we will once again be tantalized by our sinful nature. When this happens, sins we once thought were under control will seemingly be "born again" within the members of our own bodies. Then the "I can't stop" mentality can flourish. For those who claim to know Jesus and who also have the "I can't stop" condition, I must exhort you to realize that the power to win your struggle resides with you. You can, and must put it to death daily (or even "minutely" if necessary). The Holy Spirit is your guide. "But if Christ is in you, your body is dead because of sin, yet your spirit is alive because of righteousness. And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit, who lives in you. Therefore, brothers, we have an obligation - but it is not to the sinful nature, to live according to it. For if you live according to the sinful nature, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live, because those who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God." Romans 8:10-15 Pastor Jim Kilby Your donation spreads good news! www.harvestyouth.org/donate
