To repent means to turn away from your disobedience to God’s Word, the Bible, in gen­uine sorrow. Disobedience to God’s way is called “sin.”

“Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord” (Acts 3:19).

CONFESS

To confess means to verbally acknowledge your sin and your need of Jesus as your Lord (controller) and Saviour (deliverer). Consider the following Bible teachings on confession:

“If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9).

“That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God bath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved” (Romans 10:9).

BELIEVE

To believe means to completely accept what God has said, so you can act on it.

“But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that corneth to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him” (Hebrews 11:6).

“Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved” (Acts 16:31).

FOLLOW

To follow Jesus Christ daily in life means that you will want to obey what He teaches you in His Word, the Bible. Through obedience, we show the world that we belong to Christ.

“[Jesus Christ] became the author of eternal salvation unto all them that obey him” (Hebrews 5:9).

“Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ” (2 Corinthians 10:5).

Wash me, O Lamb of God,
Wash me from sin;
Thou, while I trust in Thee,
Wilt keep me clean;
Each day to Thee I bring
Heart, life, yes, everything;
Saved, while to Thee I cling,
Saved from all sin.

-by H. B. Beegle

Some years ago, people were translating the Bible into the language of the Tzeltal people in Mexico. The Bible had been available to these people for years in Spanish, but many of them did not understand Spanish. Those who did understand Spanish were not always able to grasp the meaning of the Scriptures. Bible translators saw the need to translate the Bible into Tzeltal.

As soon as a new passage was available in Tzeltal, the pastor of the church in one village used it to teach the people. Little did the trans­lators realize the effect that hearing the Bible in their mother language would have.

In that village, the leaders required the heads of households to help on village projects. This requirement was unpopular, and many men tried to evade the responsibility. To enforce the work requirement, local police would take some valuable objects from the homes of the men. They would return the objects only when the men showed up for work.

After Romans 13:1-8 was translated into Tzeltal, the Christian men in the village turned out en masse for the work projects. The author­ities, who opposed the Gospel, no longer needed to confiscate valuables from Christian homes. They were dumbfounded. The Christians took seriously what the Bible taught about honoring and obeying the authorities. “Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers. For there is no power but of God: the powers that be are ordained of God” (Romans 13:1).

The Bible continues to change men and women around the world. The Bible can change your life. What does a passage like Romans 13:1-8 do for you? Does it inspire you to apply its truths to our relationship with authorities? Do passages on moral purity challenge you to take God’s way of avoiding immorality and behavior that leads to immorality? Do passages on sacrificial living and giving inspire you to share willingly with those in need, especially the spiritually needy? When the Bible calls you to separation from sin and corruption, does it affect your relationship to Western culture and affluence? When God’s Word calls for love and obedience, do your neighbors see the change as the Mexican village officials did?

Some three thousand years ago a godly man wrote, “Thy word [the Bible] have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee [God]“ (Psalm 119:11). Throughout history people have tried to change the world through wars, political maneuverings, and a host of philoso­phies of social betterment. But only exposure to the Bible and its teaching has brought change that truly builds society and the character of men and women.

“Thy words were found, and I did eat them; and thy word was unto me the joy and rejoicing of mine heart: for I am called by thy name, O lord” (Jeremiah 15:16).

-by Roger L. Berry

God’s truth is for everyone but is found only by those who seek, who hunger and thirst after righteousness. But we must first recognize our needs—that we are even thirsty. We must come to the Lord and recognize Him as our only hope.

All the possessions in the world are of no value if we are dying of thirst in a desert. Without God we are dying spiritually and noth­ing but God can rescue us from certain death. We cannot keep the things money can buy but this is an invitation to invest in things eternal and to gain life in heaven.

Trust in God is not foolhardy. Rather, God gives us what matters most in life. A man who later gave his life as a martyr for Christ said, “He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose.”

Jesus said, “And I say unto you, Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock and it shall be opened unto you. For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened.”(Luke 11:9, 10).

We need to trust the Lord even when things are not rosy. “Christianity helps us face the music even when we don’t like the tune.” Many people abandon God just when they need Him and go even deeper into hopelessness.

Are you seeking God with your whole heart?

I. Mary Was a Virgin

Personal purity and integrity were the high watermarks of her character. She was not a flirt, craving the attention of lustful men. She obviously did not exploit her beauty or pawn it for self-gratification. Virginity is beautiful. It is like an unfolding flower blossoming into radiant splendor. It is purity unstained by sinful lust. It is virtue finding fulfillment in living by godly principles rather than physical passion. It is the greatest gift that a prospective bride can give to her lover on their wedding day.

Mary was engaged to a man who was equally just and conscientious. Their love for God and each other was a true love. They didn’t permit infatuation for each other to blur their sense of reason or their respect for each other’s charac­ter. They practiced restraint and kept their pas­sion in check. When Joseph, her engaged hus­band to be, learned Mary was with child by the Holy Spirit, he honored her by not having rela­tions with her (“knew her not”) until after Jesus was born. What a difference it would make in our society if every man and woman would exercise such quality of character.

II. Mary Was Favored by God

“Hail, thou that art highly favoured, the Lord is with thee: blessed art thou among women. Fear not, Mary: for thou hast found favour with God” (Luke 1:28, 30).

To be told you are a favorite with God would have to be the most wonderful words you could hear. God was pleased with Mary. He is pleased with every single girl who maintains her virginity.

No doubt Mary was punctual in her devo­ tion and worship of God. She was faithful in learning about and keeping the commandments of God. Her expression of humility, modesty, and submission enabled her to be a role model among her peers.

Mary was a vessel God could use. God wanted more than a human body to be mother of His beloved Son. He wanted a human soul that loved purity, righteousness, and truth. He looked for a pure young woman who would be true to her convictions. He found Mary.

III. Mary Was Willing

“Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it unto me according to thy word” (Luke 1:38). What a leap of faith. To believe the impossible and to trust God to do it is faith that God loves. Mary’s cousin Elisabeth commended her for her faith. “Blessed is she that believed: for there shall be a performance of those things which were told her from the Lord” (Luke 1:45).

To be a virgin in a promiscuous society requires faith. To come to marriage and prom­ise lifelong fidelity is a commitment of faith. Then to faithfully assume the role of mother­hood and its responsibilities as God leads must indeed bring pleasure to God.

IV. Mary Expressed Gratitude

Far from being lifted up as a celebrity, Mary remained humble and grateful. She rejoiced in God her Saviour as one who experienced His salvation. She acknowledged that God was in control of human affairs and of her life. She considered that being chosen to be the mother of the Son of God was an act of mercy from heaven. Her testimony still rings clear to all the world: “He that is mighty hath done to me great things; and holy is his name” (Luke 1:49).

Lesson for Us

Virginity is a priceless commodity. Mothers, teach your daughters (and sons) the value and reward of personal integrity and purity. Champion the cause of holiness by shunning the indecent exposure of the body that is in vogue in our society. Show your daughters the beauty that is experienced by living decently and conscientiously. Teach your daughters that virginity that is sold for momentary pleasure can never be rebought. Think about the response of the young Christian who was being taunted because she would not compromise her conviction on maintaining purity. “Anytime I choose I could become like you, but you can never become like me.”

Be worthy of a just and noble husband that will lead your home in truth and love. Put your heart and soul into being the best wife and mother (if God gives you children) that you can be. Look to the Lord to perform His promises to those who follow Him. Let your faith transcend and mount above the difficulties and seeming impossibilities that block your way. Believe that with God all things are possible.

Be grateful. Rejoice continually in the great salvation we have in Christ Jesus. Rejoice that God chooses mothers to propagate the human race. Thank God for hope and courage to face the hard times that every mother experiences.

Take time to reflect on Mary’s character. Let her virtue, her faith, her submission, her gratitude inspire you to be a noble virgin or mother that will inspire others. The world, the church, and all society desperately need you. Don’t let them down.

If you have failed God and have not lived a pure life or taught purity to your children, you can find forgiveness through the blood of Jesus Christ. Come to Him, repenting of your sin, and being willing to live a pure life from here on out. You will find the peace of God in your own heart and you can point your own generation and the coming generation to honorable wom­anhood and motherhood.

-by J. Luke Martin