On Purity

I read an article on purity from Relevant Magazine the other day, and this paragraph convicted me so I thought I would share it with you.
“A heart of purity refuses to use people for personal gratification or gain; rather, it announces to the world that individual people are precious and valuable. Purity does not just see the beauty before it; it sees the beauty before it and recognizes it as God’s handiwork, something to be appreciated, valued and honored instead of being dominated in sexual conquest. It sees the person possessing such beauty as a precious son or daughter of the Most High King—a person valued, loved and watched over by God. Purity insists on treating others respectfully, with honor and humility in considering them more important than fleeting emotions, urges and desires. No matter if they are willing to give themselves away—we are still taking something that does not belong to us, and it is an act of selfishness to allow that other person to give to us that which belongs to someone else. Even if we are engaged to be married, insisting on purity is not only an act of obedience to God but a protest against the shallow, selfish, short-term marriages peddled by this world”.

http://www.relevantmagazine.com/features-reviews/life/17168-the-purity-puzzle