Staying Pure...For Her
Conclusion
By Travis K. McSherley

We've reached the last chapter of our journey through the importance and lessons of purity.  If you haven't caught all the articles in the series, I encourage you to go to the archives and review.  I realize it may have been a difficult topic to think about, and you may not readily accept or agree with my thoughts.  Nor would I expect you to, without deep prayer and thought on your own part.  I'm just a college student after all; what do I know?

Well...I know that sex is a beautiful and precious and lovely gift from God.  I know that He is heartbroken when His children abuse and disrespect any of His gifts.  I know that if you really love and cherish the spouse you have or the spouse you may have in the future, then you'll be willing to make any sacrifices necessary for that person, even if that means waiting to be physically intimate with them.  I know that Satan tries to ruin God's gifts for us, and the world often seems to help.  And finally, I know the desire for affection as well as anyone.

Whether you've given extensive thought to these topics, I hope and pray that you at least now realize that marriage and sex are beautiful and precious gifts from God for His glory.  But they are also fragile and must be treated with loving care lest they be shattered.  Love is careful, but lust only shatters.  Love brings couples together, while lust breaks them apart.  Love makes sex meaningful and beautiful, but lust makes it worthless and disastrous.  In the heat of the moment, though, the two can be hard to separate.  But let me make a final challenge that sex outside of marriage is never out of love, always lust.  And who does lust try to please?  Me, me, me, that's it.

If you love God, you have reason enough to remain pure.  He understands your desires, but He expects you to control them.  In fact, He's the One that put the desires there in the first place, but only that they might be fulfilled in His proper time.  Pray to Him, tell Him the struggles you're having.  Tell Him that you want to commit to being pure, for His sake.

If you love your husband, your wife, your girlfriend, or your boyfriend, you have reason enough to remain pure.  Even if you don't value your own purity enough, you should at least have the desire for them to remain pure!  On your wedding night, your husband or wife should be able to know that he or she is the only one to whom you ever have or ever will share your body.  I can't think of a better wedding gift.  And nobody wants a gift that has already been used.

I realize that this has been a long series, a lot to think about.  And that's my biggest challenge to you: think about it.  If you're reading this and not married, then I am fairly confident that you and I can both relate to the struggles and desires addressed in these articles.  Hopefully, you haven't succumb to those lusts, but if you have you still need to pray for forgiveness and purity.  If you have remained sexually pure, I encourage you to pray for a clean heart and for continued resistance against temptation.  If you're married, you must be ever mindful to make sure your thoughts and actions remain pure.  Even within a marriage, sex can be based upon lusts and selfish desires.

Staying pure isn't an easy task, maybe harder now than ever.  But I encourage you with all my heart to stay pure.  Stay pure out of love.  Stay pure for God.  Stay pure for her.

Jason called Brittany early the next morning to apologize.  He realized his lust for Brittany had severely interfered with his deep love for her.  He slowly began dialing her familiar phone number, but he couldn't finish.  He could hardly bring himself to ask God for forgiveness; how could he ever ask her?  But he had to.  He had overstepped the bounds.  He had gone too far.  Even if she didn't accept his apology, he had to at least offer.  She had to know he still loved her.

Meanwhile, Brittany had been staring at her phone for almost two hours.  Was he going to call?  Had she ruined the relationship?  After all, she had overstepped the bounds.  She had gone too far. Why can't he just call so I can apologize? she thought.

The phone rang.  With tears in her eyes, Brittany picked up the phone and began sobbing.  On the other end, Jason's eyes began watering as well.  They sat for minutes, though the minutes seemed like days, neither saying a word.  But without a word being spoken, both had apologized and accepted the other's apology.  Each knew what the other was crying too hard to say.  Finally, Jason verbalized it.  "Brittany, I love you way too much to let my wants take away your purity.  God brought us together to please Him, not ourselves.  I hope that you both can forgive me.  If He wants me to marry you, Brittany, you're worth the wait."

And walk in love, as Christ also hath loved us... Eph. 5:2a