Purify!

 

It is one of the words I have been mulling over in my head now for almost a year. And one of the words I have kept a log on in two journals I have been adding to for over 10 months.

 

Why?

 

Because God is saying something.

 

And He's using this word to draw me into the deeper waters with Him.

 

The word is purify.

 

And we see it all over scripture.

 

Joshua told the Israelites that it was going to be necessary to "purify yourselves, for tomorrow the Lord will do great wonders among you." (Joshua 3:5)

 

Jacob told everyone in his household to, "Get rid of all your pagan idols and purify yourselves, and put on clean clothing", because they were going in to occupy Bethel, where they would build an alter to the Lord, their God, in remembrance of all He had done for them. (Gen 35:2)

 

After their rescue from their slavery in Egypt, Moses was called to help them to remember the Lord their God and was told to tell them to, "purify themselves and wash their clothing." (Ex 19:10) He tells them this so that they will, "Be sure they are ready on the third day, for on that the Lord will come down on Mount Sinai as the people watch." (Ex 19:11)

 

Paul even reminds us, the New Testament saints, this, "Therefore, since we have these promises, let us purify ourselves from anything that contaminates." (2 Cor 7:1)

 

And James warns us the same, "Wash your hands, you sinners; purify your hearts, for your loyalty is divided between God and the world." (James 4:8)

 

It's all over the bible.

We must purify ourselves.

 

Purify ourselves from sin.

Purify ourselves from contamination.

Purify ourselves from the world.

 

But what does that mean realistically in our world today?

 

Take a look at the word, itself.

 

Purify means this = "to make pure from anything that pollutes; to make clean; to be unaffected."

 

Wow.

 

That puts it into perspective!

 

To be unaffected.

 

Unaffected by what seems popular or acceptable in the worlds eyes.

Unaffected by the naysayers.

Unaffected by our sin-filled society.

Unaffected by the gross behavior we see round about us.

 

To live unaffected means simply that we will insist on not allowing "it" to control us any more and resisting the urge to let it govern our lives or worse yet impact our pursuit of righteousness.

 

The time has never been more important, friends, to purify yourselves from anything that seeks to pull you in another direction than straight to the Father.