The pure and the corrupt

“To the pure, all things are pure, but to those who are corrupted and do not believe, nothing is pure. In fact, both their minds and consciences are corrupted.” Titus 1:15
Have you noticed how worldly people can make almost anything into an innuendo? Words like ‘gay’, which used to mean ‘happy’, now mean something completely different. I’m sure we can all think of many other examples, and new words are being re-invented every day. More than a few times at work, people have said various things and everyone laughed except me, which then caused them to laugh even harder at the puzzled look on my face. I can’t even remember what was initially said, but I do remember the response, which was, ‘she’s purer than the driven snow.’ I took that as a compliment.
As Christians, we shouldn’t be participating in the crude jokes and lewd conversations. It’s not that hard to excuse yourself when these things start to be discussed. We should be “wise about what is good, and innocent about what is evil” (Rom. 16:19). We should be looking for the best in people, not the worst. We shouldn’t judge someone immediately by thinking, ‘What’s their hidden agenda?’ Of course, we are to be wise and discerning, but our initial reaction to a new situation or person shouldn’t be one of suspicion.
This world is going to become more and more corrupt as we get closer to the end. It will be hard to keep ourselves pure – it will take diligence and discipline. But to “keep oneself from being polluted by the world” (James 1:27) is a desirable thing in the eyes of God.