As described in an earlier post, you must resist the call to live according to the foolishness of this world. You should live a pure and holy life, not only to avoid the negative consequences of foolish living but also to honor God who called you out of this world to be His child.
Walking After The Flesh Will Destroy You
Proverbs 5:7-14 warns against living an immoral life and suffering the consequences of giving your honor to others, losing your wealth to wickedness, and having a tired sorrowful mind and body worn out by poor choices and disease. I have known people who looked older than their age because of the stress that immoral living puts on the body. Some suffer diseases for the rest of their life because of poor choices. I knew a man that said he lost several businesses and fortunes due to “drinking, drugs, and partying.” He told me with tired, sad eyes to “keep living like you are living” and “don’t make the mistakes I made.”
Iniquity ensnares us and binds us to our foolish desires, Proverbs 5:20-23:
Why should you be intoxicated, my son, with a forbidden woman
and embrace the bosom of an adulteress?
For a man’s ways are before the eyes of the LORD,
and he ponders all his paths.
The iniquities of the wicked ensnare him,
and he is held fast in the cords of his sin.
He dies for lack of discipline,
and because of his great folly he is led astray. (ESV)
As Galatians 6:7-9 teaches, we will reap a harvest of the life that we have sown. We must not deceive ourselves to think that we can escape the consequences of our actions. Likewise, if we sow good things we can live a good life.
Live Worthy Of Jesus’ Sacrifice
In Ephesians 4:1-3 Paul urges Christians to live worthy of the high calling of Jesus. As Jesus was holy and died to save us, so our life should reflect an appreciation of such a great sacrifice and a desire to live like Him.
Paul also told the Colossians, in Colossians 1:9-14, that working worthy of the calling reflected a life abiding in God’s power, doing good works to serve God and others, and increasing in the knowledge of God. Since God called us from the foolishness of sin and the darkness of the world, our lives should reflect the wisdom of righteousness and the light of God.
A Description of the Worthy Life
Proverbs 4:20-27 provides a great summary of the worthy life a young person should live:
My son, be attentive to my words;
incline your ear to my sayings.
Let them not escape from your sight;
keep them within your heart.
For they are life to those who find them,
and healing to all their flesh.
Keep your heart with all vigilance,
for from it flow the springs of life.
Put away from you crooked speech,
and put devious talk far from you.
Let your eyes look directly forward,
and your gaze be straight before you.
Ponder the path of your feet;
then all your ways will be sure.
Do not swerve to the right or to the left;
turn your foot away from evil.
(Proverbs 4:20-27 ESV)
Other Articles in this series:
- Why Older People Give Youth Advice (And Why You Should Listen)
- Trust God Completely and You Can Face Anything
- Don’t Swim in the Sewage (being holy when you are on your own)
- Don’t Leave the Lord When You Leave Home
Godly Youth 