Today's Reading: 1 Thessalonians 4:1-7
Daily Lectionary: Genesis 21:1-21; Mark 6:35-56
“For God has not called us for uncleanness but in holiness.”
(1 Thessalonians 4:7)
Happy Lent! In the name of Jesus. Amen. Lent is happy in its simplicity: God desires you to flee from sexual immorality.
Immorality and the sins of the flesh—the sins of your body–are contradictory to the faith of Jesus. You cannot be in both at the same time. One or the other. Either uncleanness or holiness.
You were not called; you were not baptized for the sake of impurity or uncleanness. He didn’t wash your sins away that you might continue to live in those forgiven sins, continuing your fornication, your self-gratification, or your adultery. The Gentiles, who don’t even know God, even they know those things are not proper. Do you really think they have a place in your life?
The Son of God Himself lived His life for you—every minute of every day. He endured the temptations you endure every day. He was not exempt from them, yet He lived through them—without sin.
He has pushed the earnings of His perfect life into your corner. They are yours now. Then He took the earnings of your immorality-filled life upon Himself and took what you deserved for them from God.
Now you are forgiven. You are holy. You are righteous by His holy life and bitter sufferings and death alone. He has given you His Holy Spirit and has called you by the Gospel.
His gifts enliven you; they empower you to flee the life that you used to live—with all its concessions for the desires of the flesh and to find your joy and happiness in His forgiveness alone.
You aren’t holy because you gave up this sin or that one. Nor are you forgiven because you don’t go to those websites anymore or watch those kinds of movies.
You are forgiven; you are holy, solely by the merits of Christ given to you. Your salvation is by His cross alone and is received by faith alone.
You are a child of God. You are baptized. You have no need of those websites or those types of videos. You have no need of tickling your flesh any more.
When you do feel that need, when you have an itch you feel desperate to scratch, run again to His forgiveness in Christ. Run to your baptism, remember who you are, remember what you are: You are a child of God.
The joy of Lent is that God has freed us from the need to sin. Christ has freed you and His freedom is not found in what you can do and keep from doing, it’s what you are free to not do for the sake of the will of God and your neighbor. So, happy fleeing from sexual immorality for Jesus sake! In the name of Jesus. Amen.