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
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