Jesus also, that he might sanctify the people with his own blood, suffered outside the gate. Therefore, let us go forth to him outside the camp, bearing his reproach. For we have no continuing city here, but we seek one to come.
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From conversations with old saints in the late 1970’s
My father, who was born in 1901, told me when I was a young man in the 1970’s that young people of his generation, and of the generation before his, often could tell who they were to marry when they first met. Then, he added that a generation such as mine, a very immoral one, could not do that. When young people live an immoral lifestyle, it warps the spirit and the perceptive abilities. Moral purity carries benefits that an immoral generation cannot even perceive, much less value. In years past, I have talked about this to some young people who just shook their heads as if to suggest that for anyone to be able to know who God intended to be your mate when you first meet is a fantasy from some romance novel. But it is not.
Sister Dell Lancaster, an old saint who was born in the late 1800’s and is now gone to be with Jesus, once told me that when she was a young woman, she saw a young man’s handwriting and knew that whoever he was, he was the man whom she would marry. When she saw the handwriting, she had not yet even met him, and still, she knew in her heart that she had found the man whom she would marry! The couple soon were introduced, married shortly thereafter, and had four children. A fairy tale? Not for Sister Dell.
There are many blessings available from God for any generation that has respect for His commandments, whether or not that generation has been taught proper Biblical doctrine. God blesses the respect that anyone shows His Son; that is how much He loves Jesus. That is also the reason that this country, and Western Culture in general, has made such incredible medical, technological, and philosophic advances over the centuries. It has not been that whites are intrinsically better than blacks or reds; rather, it is that Western countries are historically the countries where the name of Jesus has been proclaimed and honored, and in response, God has poured out blessings that are staggering to consider, even if the gospel has been abused and misused for some men’s personal gain at times.
Young person, make up your mind to go with God and to trust Him fully to let you know who you are to marry and when. You may not do as Sister Dell did and know from a mere signature whom you will marry (that kind of thing certainly did not happen to everyone of her generation), but if you live the way God commands us all to live, you will be kept from making big mistakes. And in a pampered, self-indulgent, and immoral generation such as this one, a young person who does not make big mistakes has been very blessed of God.
Keep yourself pure, young person, and God will keep you safe. That is one of the many benefits of purity.