Read: 1 Thessalonians 4:1-8

If you’ve been working in the garden or playing sport in the rain and mud, you’d probably be very dirty. You would be covered in mud and sand. You would not be clean.

In the passage today, Paul tells us that God doesn’t call us to uncleanness, but to holiness. Of course, Paul doesn’t mean that we’re not allowed to be covered in mud and dirt. But Paul tells us to stay away from sin. Just like mud makes us physically dirty, our sins make us spiritually dirty.

God doesn’t want us to be unclean (covered in sin), but holy. God has made us His children, and as his children we must live in holiness.

To live holy lives means to stay far away from all sin. In the passage Paul gives a specific sin that we must flee from. Paul talks about sexual immorality. You may think that Paul is talking to the adults only here, but this warning is important for children too. He is warning you too to keep your bodies pure. This means that you can’t listen to or tell dirty or rude jokes. This means that you can’t watch TV programs where people aren’t dressed decently. Sometimes pictures might come up on your computer screen that are rude. If this happens you need to turn it off and tell your parents straightaway. Paul knows that sometimes we actually like to see these things, but it is very wrong. All around us many people don’t care about these things and what we see on the TV or the internet. But God cares very much. He tells us to flee from all these sins. He tells us to live holy lives.

Jesus Christ lived a holy life. He never looked at rude pictures or told rude jokes. He was always holy. And he calls us to be holy to. But also remember that if you do sin, God will always forgive your sins, no matter what they are, if you go to him in prayer.

Reflection with your child:

What does it mean to live a holy life?