See No Evil....

September 30, 2012

So a funny thing happened on the way to Sunday school (okay, it was actually in Sunday school) today. Our normal teacher has been away these past several months raising money for a Christian school our church is affiliated with and the substitute has been leading us through the book of James. For the past several weeks we have been studying Chapter 3; the part about the tongue being a little member but full evil and able to kindle a great fire. Today we discussed correlating verses from the teachings of Jesus that state that whatever goes into a man does not defile him (speaking of food) but what comes out does (speaking of the state of a man’s heart) and he asked the question “How do we keep our tongue?” The answer was “Have a change of heart.”

This led to a conversation about being careful what we see and what we hear so that we can be take care of what we say and he related a story wherein his child used the argument “But I hear worse in school.” I unashamedly put in a plug for homeschooling stating that we do not have to subject our children to those worldly influence but have the freedom to teach them truth and discernment from God’s point of view. Sadly, I regret my comment was acknowledged but swiftly dismissed.

Today did reaffirm why we homeschool/disciple. And though I know we cannot protect our children from the world forever, neither do we have to throw them to the wolves and hope they don’t get devoured.

“Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.” – Philippians 4:8

PU'RITY, n. [L. puritas, form purus.]

     1. Freedom from foreign admixture or heterogeneous matter; as the purity of water, of wine, of spirit; the purity of drugs; the purity of metals.

     2. Cleanness; freedom from foulness or dirt; as the purity of a garment.

     3. Freedom from guilt or the defilement of sin; innocence; as purity of heart or life.

   4. Chastity; freedom from contamination by illicit sexual connection.

     5. Freedom from any sinister or improper views; as the purity of motives or designs.

    6. Freedom from foreign idioms, from barbarous or improper words or phrases; as purity of style or language.