A Very Special Recipe

I heard a story years ago about a father and son conversation. The dad was trying to help his son understand the importance of being sexually pure, but the son thought his father was being unreasonable: 
“C’mon, Dad! Your standard’s a little unreasonably high, don’t you think?”
“I don’t believe so, son. God wants our best, and He doesn’t want it mixed in with anything else.”
“Yeah, but seriously, Dad, what’s a little bit of fun going to hurt? I mean, it’s not like I’m going to hell for a little action. I’m pretty good. You may not think so, but compared to most kids my age, I really am.”
“It’s not a matter of how you compare with others, son; it’s about living for God’s standards. And notice I said ‘for’ His standards, not ‘up to’ His standards. That’s where God’s grace come in…”
“Well, I think God’s grace is big enough for just a little bit of ‘sin’ so I don’t live a completely boring life, don’t you think, Dad?”
Realizing that the conversation was going nowhere, the father took a tactical retreat to think through some way to help his son realize that God's desire for our perfect obedience was for our own good. That night, the father brought a plate of freshly baked brownies out after dinner. The son loved brownies and immediately picked one up to devour it, but the father stopped him, explaining:
“Before you eat that, son, I want you to know that I made these with a special ingredient and that I made them with our earlier conversation in mind.”
“Thanks, Dad. No worries… glad you understand that a little bit of fun is okay.” 
“Well, yes, and just a minute before you eat that, son. Don’t you want to know the special ingredient I put in the brownie?”
At this point, the young man slowly put the brownie down, his curiosity obviously piqued. 
“I started thinking about why God wants us to strive for purity, and I confess that I had a hard time putting it into words. But then I had this idea. I know how much you like brownies, and of course you know God loves you even more than you enjoy brownies, right son?”
“Umm… yeah, so what’s your point?”
“But God wants you to be pure, right? He wants your perfect obedience, but after all, why wouldn’t just a little bit of impurity be okay? I mean, how could that mess up the whole thing, right son? That’s your point, right?”
“What’s in the brownies, Dad?”
“Well, it’s just a little bit. You won’t even taste it.”
“Dad… tell me.”
“If you can’t taste it, what does it matter? It’s just a little bit of impurity… just a secret, special ingredient. Why would a little, tiny bit of dog poop in the batter make a difference?”
Why indeed, does a little bit of impurity matter? I remember that story and for me, it hits home more than any argument. But I think the analogy would be more accurate if that special ingredient were a slow-acting, highly-addictive poison. That’s what sexual sin really is: it tastes good at first and it makes us want even more. It draws us in deeper than we intend to go: a long glance becomes a recurring thought; a compelling day dream drives a search for more gratification; a step into gratification pulls one into patterns of behavior… and so it goes until the unhealthy behavior patterns result in shame and betrayal. But in any given step in this process, there’s a way to step out and return to a pure lifestyle; the pressure, no matter how strong can be resisted and overcome. 
But if a wicked person turns away from all the sins they have committed and keeps all my decrees and does what is just and right… None of the offenses they have committed will be remembered against them… Do I take any pleasure in the death of the wicked? declares the Sovereign Lord. Rather, am I not pleased when they turn from their ways and live? (Ezekiel 18:21-23)
God delights in our turning back to Him and His ways. If you are reading this, I would say it’s no accident. Maybe you’re looking for freedom and a renewed purity. Maybe you know someone that is. Or maybe you’ve been hurt by someone who has been pulled down so much further than they ever thought they’d go. There is hope and there is healing. 

Live in purity. If you’ve strayed away from that, it’s not too late to return. If you know someone who has gone down the wrong path, you have an opportunity to encourage them in doing good. And if you’ve been hurt, you can learn to forgive… for your sake as much as for the sake of another.
Flee from sexual immorality. All other sins a person commits are outside the body, but whoever sins sexually, sins against their own body. Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your bodies. (1 Corinthians 6:18-20)
copyright ©2013 Mitchell Malloy (http://mitchellmalloyblogspot.com/)

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