Jesus lived a life above reproach. Though He was tempted just as we are, He did not sin. Emulating His life is the Holy Grail for those of us who desire to follow Him. Living a sin free life is pretty much guaranteed to be impossible, but why is that? Why do we find it so difficult to live a life of purity and devotion? After all, every time we sin it is because we choose to do so. Couldn’t we just choose not to and live a life more pleasing to God?
God has bestowed freewill upon us meaning we have the right to choose between right and wrong, between Christ and Satan in every decision we make. Our selfishness leads us to choose unwisely. We want what we want and we want it right now. Instead of holding out for the far greater rewards Jesus has for us, we act impulsively to grab what is currently within our reach.
Every day we see stories of politicians and celebrities who have made stupid and immoral choices. However, the exposure of sin is no longer reserved for society’s elite. In this the internet age, privacy is all but a thing of the past. For the right price you can find out almost anything about anyone. We no longer live in isolation but rather are all part of a very public world. What once we figured would only be known by God now has the potential to be known by the masses. Every electronic purchase, every program or song that you stream, and every website you visit is tracked in some fashion. I am not a conspiracy theorist; this is simply the reality of our interconnected world.
While it should have always been our desire to stay pure in the eyes of an all-powerful God (2 Timothy 2:19), there is something more sobering about having the details of our life exposed to the masses. Instead of living fearful lives or trying to figure out ways to “beat the system”, we could instead use this to our advantage. What if every choice we made was broadcast for the world to see? What if our every thought and action was to be made publicly known? Would that help us to think twice about our decisions? Again, our love for God should be motivation enough, but our lives tell a different story.
I believe it is possible to live a life beyond reproach (1 Timothy 3:2), and I think it is paramount that we begin building that life today. When you are tempted to sin, cry out to God for the courage to overcome the temptation. Keep your Bible handy; Satan hates when we read Scripture and will flee from us. Surround yourself with God honoring books, music and programming. The more we flood our minds with the good things of Christ, the better our chances to fend off the attacks of evil. We must switch our default thinking to be for God instead of for ourselves.
Every second of every minute of every hour of every day we are making choices to serve God or to serve our own selfishness. Jesus set the example of a life lived beyond reproach, and it is to this we must aspire. Every sin is a result of our own choice. Learning to recognize the early signs of temptation can go a long way in prayerfully shutting it down before it is allowed to blossom. Living a life more pleasing to God is simply a matter of consistently choosing His ways over our own. The next time you are staring sin in the face, visualize your choice being announced to the world. Living a life above reproach comes down to our own choices as allowed by the sovereignty of God. We can choose to sin or we can choose to honor our Savior and Creator. How will we choose today?
Question: What keeps you from living a life above reproach?