"Therefore, since we have these promises, dear friends, let us purify ourselves from everything that contaminates body and spirit, perfecting holiness out of reverence for God" - 2 Cor 7:1 (NIV).
Impurities have been described as "substances that are present in small quantities in another substance and make it dirty or unacceptable". If one is preparing any food item for consumption it would be a definite desire to remove all the unwanted elements to make it edible. If it is a liquid one can have a seive to help filter the bad stuff and secure that which is fine for drinking.
The Bible talks of us clearing our lives of impurities; as in, "Remove the impurities from silver, and the sterling will be ready for the silversmith" (Proverbs 25:4). According to I Thessalonians 4:7, we are reminded, "For God did not call us to be impure, but to live a holy life."
If one was about to take juice and discovers there are some bad particles most would first find a way to remove all those impure stuff that may even affect the taste. When a drink is removed of impurities it has the proper and enjoyable taste.
And so it is also in our relation with God. There are all sorts of impure stuff that can enter and clog our lives. These could be poisonous thoughts. Sometimes it is harmful indulgences. When we allow impure stuff inside us our lives are denied of proper use, weighed down by impurities. Hence the desire to remove such to be of quality use.
Today, may our object be to remove all forms of impurities in our lives so that we can then offer our "bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship" (Romans 12:1)
Prayer for today: Lord Father God of Abraham, maker of heaven and earth, today I offer you my life that you may remove it of all impurities, to be acceptable and pleasing to you, this I pray in Jesus's name.
Related upcoming events
-
19/04/2024 - 20/04/2024 All day“See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland” ( Isaiah 43:19).
Just before fire was unleashed down on Sodom and Gommorah, Lot was told to pack up with his wife and two daughters and leave their homestead. Now, once out of danger, “But Lot’s wife looked back, and she became a pillar of salt” ( Gen 19:26). Perhaps here we might pause and ask why she was bothered to look back.
Of course it could have been that old “curiosity killed a cat” mistake! Yet, it could also have been Lot’s wife was not sure where she was going and longed for her old life back. This is a common error. There was nothing stirring to look back. Just before Lot’s neighbors had attacked his house eager to rape his visitors. “They called to Lot, “Where are the men who came to you tonight? Bring them out to us so that we can have sex with them” ( vv 5). Was there anything worth looking back to!
The case of Lot’s wife could be anyone else’s experience. The Lord has plucked you out of some mess. You have been delivered to a new life. Yet, somehow you decide to look back, as though there was anything good and worth longing for. Sometimes it is a bitter past you have been delivered from. Other than rejoice in your new blessings you keep being drawn back!
A wise caution goes, “As a dog returns to its vomit, so fools repeat their folly” ( Proverbs 26:11). If the Lord has just led you out of a certain mess why look back like it was much better! Instead look ahead, for “he who made a way through the sea, a path through the mighty waters, who drew out the chariots and horses, the army and reinforcements together, and they lay there, never to rise again, extinguished, snuffed out like a wick: Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past” ( vv 17- 18).
Prayer today: Lord Father God of Abraham, maker of heaven and earth, I thank you for delivering me from the darkness of the past and I look forward to a bright new future in you, this I pray in Jesus’ name!
