taken the shape of a pot but not yet fit for use . The potter places the pot in fire . The pot writhes in agony . This is the purifying process before God can use us . Yes , it is a horrifying process , but without it we cannot be Pure for Sure .
When we lose our purity , our life and ministry begin to count down . But we must always remember : Failures are not fatal . Failure may be deeply humiliating but you can always start all over again . Aaron was chided by Moses for causing the people to sin . But later he became the high priest .
We think of David as a saint . But in Psalm 119:25 he confesses , “ My soul clings to the dust ; REVIVE me according your word .” So does our soul . We need to detach ourselves from the dust we are clinging to , before revival showers drench us .
We need to stand before four persons to prove our purity
1 . Before God : Job tells God boldly : “ You know I am not guilty ” ( Job 10:7 ). Do we have the courage and authenticity to stand before God and make that statement ? Whenever we go into God ' s presence we should have the confidence to repeat these words . God certified that Job was blameless ( Job 1:8 ). Let us sweat to get that certificate from God .
2 . Before Men : God had something more to say about Job he was upright . That is , in the eyes of people he always did right . When people talk ill of us , we confront them and bark , “ You don ' t talk about me .” Instead , we should behave in such a way that we don ' t give place to anyone to talk ill of us . A thousand eyes are watching us , to catch us , like they wanted to catch Daniel . Let us always do what is right , so that people have nothing to backbite us .
3 . Before Us : Just get out of yourself and look at yourself . Are you satisfied with your holiness ? That requires being honest to yourself . How we cheat ourselves by consoling our hearts with blatant lies ! Shakespeare said : “ We can ' t really be true to anyone else unless we are first true to ourselves .” Who is at loss if we deceive ourselves ?
The former President of the United States Mr . George Washington said : “ Labour to keep alive in
your breast that little spark of celestial fire called conscience .” There is no softer pillow than a clear conscience .
The apostle John warns us thus : “ If we claim to be without sin , we deceive ourselves and the truth is not IN us ” ( 1 Jn 1:8 ). Truth should be INSIDE us . Practice speaking the truth to yourself . Confront yourself honestly and deal with yourself straightforwardly .
For almost an year David was lying to himself , after his sin of adultery and murder . May be he told himself , “ I am not as bad as others . As a king I can enjoy certain privileges . Actually “ I ” did not kill Uriah .” All the while he knew he was in the wrong . But when he was made to face his sin , he wrote : “ You desire truth in the INWARD parts ” ( Psa 51:6 ). He learnt to speak the truth to himself . Unless and until we learn this , we will not progress in our personal purity .
“ Dear friends , if our hearts do not condemn us , we have confidence before God ” ( 1 Jn 3:21 ). Live in peace with your heart . Job lived by that principle . “ I will maintain my innocence and never let go of it ; my conscience will not reproach me as long as I live ,” says he ( Job 27:6 ). He was not only confident of the present but also of his future purity . Pure for Sure indeed ! So much was his determination . His three friends stopped arguing with Job because , “ he was
| PAGE 3 |