Reasonable?

II Peter 3:11 says "Since everything will be destroyed in this way, what kind of people ought you to be?  You ought to live holy and godly lives."  (NIV)   Verse 14 says, "So then, dear friends, since you are looking forward to this, make every effort to be found spotless, blameless and at peace with Him." (NIV)

As I read those words, I was reminded again of why I wrote "Color of the Roses."  The church has been called a hospital for sinners instead of a museum for saints.  I agree, but if the churched aren't living any differently than the unchurched, how will people get the help they're seeking?  Where will they find peace with God?  It's been said that Christians can be more a part of the problem than a part of the solution.  It troubles me.

The Pro-life ministry, unbeknownst to many, is a place of refuge for the hurting seeking help.  It's not only for saving babies.  I believe if  the mother understands how much you love her and want to help her, she'll make the right choice.

Going back to the Scriptures quoted, I realize they're about the end times.  The principle is the same.  We are always to live as though this is the last day of our lives.  Dr. David Jeremiah says that one of the crowns Christians will receive in heaven and cast at Jesus' feet is the crown of victory-which is given for self-discipline. Where's the self-discipline of Christians, when our churches are filled with couples living together outside marriage, affairs, child-molestation, multiple divorces and remarriage?

Job, in Chapter 31, talks about the ways he disciplined himself never to look lustfully at a woman.  In verse 12 he states that adultery is "a fire that burns to Destruction."

Granted, that's not the only sin that weakens the church, but after spending several years in the Pro-life ministry, my heart is broken at our lack of recognition that all sin is against God.  In Psalm 51:4, David said, "Against You and You only have I sinned.."  In Genesis 39:9, Joseph told Potiphar's wife that he couldn't "do such a wicked thing and sin against God."

If I sound preachy, please understand I preach because I love.  "Color of the Roses," due out in a few months, is not preachy.  It's a story of a man who lost his way and a woman who didn't.  One of my editor friends said she liked the characters because they are so pure.

I liked that.  Whenever I read a book or watch a movie, I'm always disappointed if the main characters are not living a lifestyle that encourages me to be the Christian I claim to be.  Purity may be an unpopular subject in today's world. However, isn't it about time we Christians live what we claim to believe?  Am I being reasonable?