God’s people are to be
a holy people. In this account we see three important actions which are
relevant to all who call on the name of the Lord. In an act of restoration of
commitment and closeness with God, the Israelites ‘separated’ themselves, ‘stood’
and ‘confessed’ their sins. If we are to remain people consecrated to God, it
is necessary that we are willing to ‘separate’ ourselves. The call of God for
His people to pursue holiness and purity is a continuous theme in scripture. What
differentiates believers from the unsaved should be obvious and should shout
the holiness of God through their actions, thoughts and choices. It is
necessary if we are to be and stay close to the Lord, that we separate ourselves
from the world and its ways. These things should be foreign and distant from
us. The people then ‘stood’. This is significant for it represents a position
of determination for the Lord. One of the greatest problems we face as Christians
today, is the lack of willingness among believers to ‘stand’ for God, His ways,
His principles and His absolutes. Close relationship with Jesus can only be
maintained if we are prepared to stand for Him. He taught that if we are not
ashamed of Him (who He is, His doctrine and example), then He will not be
ashamed of us! In an age of weakness and compromise, let God’s true people
stand in love and humility. The next thing they did was to ‘confess’ their
sins. When we partake of the holiness of God and stand in the strength of His
power, we don’t do so to point a finger at others and find fault in others but
to first and foremost make sure we stand right in God personally! This means an
inward look, an inspection and examination of our own heart and soul, followed
by heartfelt confession to God and repentance of our sins. Jesus made it clear
we cannot spiritually help anyone in their shortcoming or sustain them in their
need, if we ourselves are at fault with God and our vision impaired by carnal
obstacles, and our convictions weakened by compromises. Taking an example from
the Israelites in our text, let us renew our dedication to God and reconsecrate
our lives and living unto Him.
http://www.pentecostalfamilychurch.com.au/devotion
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