Virtue

Ex.20: ¹⁴ “You must not commit adultery.”

Do you remember the story of Sammy and his best friend, Tommy? Remember how Tommy had chosen to go to Bill’s party over Sammy’s party

even though they were best friends? It so happened that when they got to school the following day, Sammy would not even talk to Tommy or have anything to do with him. This really bothered Tommy; so, when he got home that night, he spoke to his father and told him the entire story – Sammy’s invitation, his response and Bill’s invite and his second response and his fall out session with Sammy.

He did not understand why Sammy was so upset. Did Sammy really expect him to miss out on the most talked about party? His father assured him that the decision he was faced with was a big one. And to help him, the father told him a story. He said, “At my office I have a lot of lady friends that are really beautiful and a lot of them are fun to be with. What if I come home with one of my female colleagues and I say I want to marry her. I do not want to stay married to your mother anymore because my colleague is more fun to be with. What would you say about that?”

The sheer thought of the possibility of it actually happening was too much for Tommy to handle. And he began to plead with his father, “No dad! You cannot do that. You promised that you will love mum in sickness and in health, till death do you part. I watched the video of your wedding and I saw you seal your promise with a ring! You cannot change your word!” And the father said, “Exactly son! You gave your word to Sammy, you cannot change your word!” Tommy got the message; what he needed to do was clear.

So, the next day he apologised to Sammy. Sammy also apologised to Tommy for calling him names in anger. Tommy attended Sammy’s party and they both had the adventure of their lives fishing and camping; so much so that Tommy confessed that he could not have imagined missing such an awesome party. The lesson for us is this: the battle with purity is actually a battle with decision-making. If you can keep your word in the little promises, you will be able to keep your word in the big promises.

Prayer: Holy Spirit, I ask for the grace to be a person of integrity, in Jesus Name. Amen!