PuritySession 5:

STORY: Sammy’s Big Catch

Sammy was a good-looking young boy who lived in the deep south. Fishing was by far his favorite thing to do. Just about everyday during summer vacation, he would dig up some worms and head off, pole in hand, for a day of fishing.

This steamy hot day was like most others during Sammy’s summer break. Walking early, he could hear the pond calling him to fish. Sammy quietly walked out the front door, grabbed his pitchfork and worm pail from the porch, walked in the woods to search for bait.

He turned over old stumps and dug under leaves hoping to find worms. Under one old stump he hit the jackpot. The ground was writhing (movement of curling, slimy, worm-like creatures). In two minutes he had all the bait he needed, and at 15 minutes he was at the pond.

Reaching into his bait bucket, Sammy pulled out a big worm. He double-hooked it and tossed it into the water. He noticed a stinging in his hand, but filled with the excitement of the moment, he paid no attention to it. Within 30 seconds, Sammy had a strike and pulled a nice catfish. Wow, he thought, a fish in the first minute. This is unbelievable!

He put a catch on his stringer, hurried to rebait his hook, and tried his luck again. Once again, he felt a stinging sensation in his hand as he threw the hook into the pond.

He didn’t have time to worry about it. Within just a few seconds, he had another huge fish. He fumbled the next time he baited his hook-his hand felt numb and stiff. But Sammy was too excited about catching another fish to give it much thought.

At the end of only an hour of fishing, Sammy had caught eight large fish. This was definitely his best fishing day ever. He was so proud of his accomplishment that, even though there was plenty of day left to fish, he threw a heavy group of catfish over his shoulder and ran the road to show off to his dad and mom.

The local sheriff happened to drive up alongside Sammy and started to congratulate him on his catch of fish. With smile and a victory, Sammy held up his arms and showed his catch. The sheriff was shocked, parked his car and ran to Sammy. His eyes hadn’t deceived him-Sammy’s arms were so red and swollen, and was twice as large the normal size.

“Exactly where have you been and what bait did you use to catch all those fish?” the sheriff asked Sammy, already guessing the answer.

“I found some special bait under an old stump of a tree,” Sammy boasted. “These worms wiggle very good!” he commended, handing up the bait bucket for inspection. After a close look at the worms, the sheriff ran fast-forward. Securing the bucket into his truck, he then pulled Sammy into the backseat of hi patrol car.

Spinning a rushing U-turn on the road, he sped off to the hospital, but Sammy, was already dead.

What the Sherriff discovered was that Sammy had been fishing with baby rattlesnakes.

Where to take it from here…• Sammy’s deadly bait gave him a good

morning’s fishing but cost him his life. Had Sammy stopped fishing after the first sting, he could have been saved, because one bite from a baby rattlesnake won’t kill if one gets a treatment on time. But Sammy was having fun and did not bother himself with the small voice of pain in his hand.

• Playing around with sin is like using baby rattlesnakes for bait. Sinning seems harmless to young people who don’t recognize sin and are unaware of its deadly consequences. The more sin you get into, however, the more numb you become to its sting. In the excitement of the moment, you ignore the still small voice of God warning you of danger and encouraging you to choose life instead of death. That’s how sin eats us up.

Source: Still More Hot Illustrations for Youth Talks by Wayne Rice.

What to do’s?

OLD HABITS DIE HARD, but it still dies. • Sin eats you, but it can be resisted (James 4:7). Use

your head over your deceitful heart/emotions (Jeremiah 17:9).

• “Kilig” moments are good, but can be deceiving if allowed to make you “wiwi”. If you’re in a current relationship that has no commitment, you may have started wrong. Start with a clean slate, and rethink your relationship.

ATTITUDE is a big thing. • One popular writer wrote: “If you love and want

your spouse more than anything, you will end up selfish, fearful, bitter or disillusioned. If you love Jesus more than anything, you will really love and enjoy your spouse. You will be someone worth marrying.”

• Ask yourself, who is your first love? Are you like the church at Ephesus in Revelation 3, christians who forget their first love in Christ?

• That should also strengthen the fact that if we love Christ, our preference of a ‘sweetheart‘ should also be “Christ-like,” a Christian of similar faith and belief.

HUSTLE WHILE YOU WAIT. • Ephesians 5:5-16 tells us to be

careful, and making wise decisions because the days are “evil.” We indeed have a lot of question on who or what will be our future spouse be, but “redeeming the time” will also prepare ourselves in the next season of our time.

Our faithfulness in small things earns us the right to handle bigger responsibilities down the road. Besides, “true love waits.”

KNOW WHAT YOU WANT AND NEED IN A RELATIONSHIP.

• Old saying goes “Beggars can’t be choosers.” Are you a beggar? Since you are not, then be choosy!

• Are you looking for a life worth living? A life with commitment towards someone sharing the same goals and directions? A person who can be with you on your ministry? Someone who sees all the bad other than the good in you? Someone you can spend the rest of your life with, praising and serving the Lord until He comes? Your choice defines you. If your criteria is cheap, you are cheap.

PRACTICE NOW. • I’m not saying you look for it now. But since you

maybe just years away from marriage, practice not just to be a good husband or wife, but also to be a godly husband and wife.

• How can I practice for that? Everyone of us have been given sisters, brothers, fathers or mothers. We can begin loving them and seeing their virtues, honoring them in a godly manner. If you can’t begin to treat them in a godly way, how can you do so with your future spouse?

A SELF-CHALLENGE!A SELF-CHALLENGE!• I want to be a godly I want to be a godly

husband/wife!husband/wife!• I want to nurture my I want to nurture my

spouse, love, respect spouse, love, respect and protect him/herand protect him/her

• There is “God’s Best!”There is “God’s Best!”

SUBTOPIC!• For men, do we take care of the ladies in our

group? Do we ensure their safety, protection and welfare in all possible ways? Are we gentlemen towards them without malice?

• Do we group ourselves in Biblical fellowship? Praying for each other, and sharing the burden towards the purpose of serving God?

• Do we see older ones as “kuya” and “ates”, while younger ones as siblings in the faith?

– Note: Guys, it’s time we stood up to defend the honor and righteousness of our sisters. Doesn’t it feel good to hear one day from the future husbands of your brethren, “Thank you for being a good brother to my wife.” And vice-versa.

• Remember, we will give account to the Lord when our time comes (Romans 14:12).

SINGLE BLESSEDNESS. • Now, don’t allow yourself to be stuck with the

idea that marriage is the end of everything, that it is the “Happy Ever After” of life.

• Single blessedness is also a gift from God, a life that is not only beneficial financially, weight of responsibilities, but also gives you the full benefit of serving your one and only true love-Jesus Christ. It is a gift to have a spouse in the future, but it is more blessed to be gifted with single-blessedness.

The Story of

Rebekah(Genesis 24 )

At the right time, God will give you His choice for you-God’s gift of love.

Source: Joshua Harris’ I Kissed Dating Goodbye. OMF Literature Inc.

Reflection time:

Give your overall thoughts on the subject of purity. Had there been any change on your perception of the following, write them down and think of it (e.g., Before, I though looking for a sweetheart was about…now, I know that….)

•Relationships•Marriage•Brothers and Sisters in Christ (brethren)

List down up to 10 challenges to yourself about our sessions about purity, and on what your courses of action would be.

Additional!

Revisit your criteria in finding a relationship . Do I need to redo it, improve, add, or maintain it?

Keep your Purity