Friday afternoon thoughts.

In my devos lately, I've been reading through 1 Timothy in my MacArthur Study Bible. Now, normally I don't like to use any other Bible other than my old, blue one, but...this is different. Anyway, I'm reading through the book a little section at a time, because I know if I read chapters it would get too overwhelming. Last night I finished up reading chapter 3, but for some reason, this verse caught my eye.

"Let no man despise thy youth; but be thou an example of the believers, in word, in conversation, in charity, in spirit, in faith, in purity. 1 Timothy 4:12

I don't know how my brain made this connection, but it did! And it was really good. I was actually surprised to have come up with such a thought! Ok, on my 15th birthday, Mom and Dad bought me a promise ring. Since I was in middle school, I've always wanted one, but I just never really got around to actually getting one. Ok, for those of you don't know, promise rings are also called purity rings, but for me, I choose to call mine a promise ring. Why? Well, I'll tell you why.

Paul wrote this book to Timothy, obviously. (Note the name of the book) Timothy, it says, is still under 40 at this point, and in Greek culture, that's still "young." Ok, so we have that part down.

Timothy was young. So am I.

Paul told Timothy to "be an example of the believers" for his church. Ok, Timothy is supposed to be like a pastor or something. I am not a pastor of anything. :) I can still apply what Paul has to say to Timothy, however. Ever since I was a little girl, I've always looked up to the older girls in my church. I used to take note of everything they did-the way the dressed, the way they talked, who they hung out with, things like that. I looked up to them. They were never aware of that, but I did, nonetheless. Anyway, as I got older, I just felt very burdened to be a good example for the girls in our church, younger and maybe even older at times.

Timothy was to be an example among the believers. So should I.

"In word" Word. Speech.
"In conversation" Lifestyle. In the way I live.
"In charity" Love. Or as MacArthur so eloquently put it "self-sacrificial service for others.
"In faith" Commitment.
"In purity" Mind, Body, and Heart.

("In spirit" isn't included in the description thingies, and I don't really know what it means anyway)

Back to what I was talking about earlier about my promise ring. I had a ring, and I had a promise....I just didn't know what it was exactly. I know that sounds totally ridiculous, but it's true. I mean, I knew what my intentions were by having a promise ring, but I didn't really think through what I was promising or who I was promising to. You know?

I was lying in my bed about 4 hours ago, just thinking. I was thinking about the verse in 1 Timothy, and when I think or get really nervous (but I wasn't nervous then), I start to play with my ring...and that's when it clicked!!!

I don't just promise to remain pure for my future husband.
I promise to God, my parents, my future husband, my future kids, and myself that...
I would watch what I say-that I would have the discernment to know what to say and when to say it; that my words would build people up, not tear them down; that God's Word, His works, and His praise would be constantly flow from me; that I wouldn't lie or manipulate with my words or tempt others to do wrong; and that I would show others who God truly is through my words, written or spoken. My life should be a genuine representation of what God's doing in my heart. I wouldn't try to be someone I'm not. I'm not perfect, and I will make mistakes, but I won't deny God working. I promise, by God's grace, to live a life above this world's standard and according to the truth in God's Word. I promise to love like Jesus loves. Granted, I'm not ever going to perfect that, but if I am filled with His love, the overflow of His love for me would enable me to love others like He does. I promise to live a life of service like Jesus did. I'm not on this earth, I don't have this life to be served but to serve. I serve others because God has done so much for me, the least I could do is live my life for Him and His work. I promise to be faithful-in my relationship with God, in my relationships with others, and in my "relationship" with my future husband (Lord willing...hah!). By God's grace, I promise to stay deeply rooted in God's word and to make my relationship with Him the most important thing in my life. I promise to remain loyal to the Truth that I believe in, even if that means being persecuted for it. I promise to cherish and develop my relationships with others and to make sure Christ is the center of my relationships (friendships, etc). I promise to stay committed to keeping myself pure-in heart, body, and mind. I think this goes without explanation, but in every way, I promise to honor God's sanctity of marriage and to obey His Word on what it has to say about staying pure. I promise to walk down the aisle on my wedding day and truly symbolize what the white dress I'd be wearing means.

It's more than just being pure. It's a whole lifestyle focused and centered on God, His Word, and His will. My prayer is that God would continually give me grace and the strength to keep these promises, not on my own, but through Him. I pray that His light would shine bright in this little life that I have.

That is most of what I've been thinking, but some, I just don't know how to put into words. Still, this post seems kind of...weird and irrelevant and choppy. It's not my best piece of work, but hey, it's not about me anyway.