PURE

PURE

Isaiah 1:18

“Come now, let us reason together,” says the LORD. “Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red as crimson, they shall be like wool.

Look at these sheep.  They really stand out against the back drop of green grass.  They are white, fluffy, and pure.  White is the color of purity.  Purity is a good thing.   Let's look at the next picture below.

Now? Not so much.  They look nice and white when they are compared to green grass, but once you place them up against sometime a lot whiter and more pure like fresh snow, the flaws and dirt become obvious.

That's sort of what Jesus does.  Jesus is Pure.  He is Holy. He is perfect. He is without defect.  We are not.  Sometimes we'd like to think we or someone we love is like the pretty white sheep standing in a lush green pasture, but truth is we are all are or were like the dirty white sheep standing in the snow.  We need Jesus.  Jesus is the only one who can make us pure and clean us up to be like Him.

It's very easy to get caught up in I'm a good person, I do good things, and I don't know why I need this Jesus.  It's also easy to be very critical of others faults or presumed faults while ignoring the much worse ones you have. 

Which sheep are you? Are you the one hiding in the green grass pretending to be pure? It's like putting yourself around fat people so that you look skinny, or hanging out with people uglier than you so you look pretty.  It's like being hurtful or tearing someone else down so that you look smart.  All you are doing is trying to cover up your impurities and hide your faults.

If we hold oursleves up to a higher standard which is God, we realize we aren't as pure. We have faults, blemishes, and defects.  But, don't get depressed or low self-esteem. There is good news. What we all really need to do(yes, this means me too) is look at Jesus who is PURE and compare ourselves to Him. We need to realize we need Him and we cannot be pure without Him.   God makes us pure.  Its the reason Jesus came to earth, lived as a human, died a cruel death on the cross, and become our sin, took our hell, and defeated them all in order to make us pure.  He became our sacrificial lamb. Jesus is the pure white sheep.

We can become pure, only because of Jesus. Not anything we did, can do, or ever will do.  Purity comes from Him.  It is our goal to strive to live pure lives.  We us purity alot of times talking about sex, but purity is really for all areas of our lives.  Anytime we sin, pick up bad habits, or do wrong, we become impure. 

 Dictionary defines Pure as : "free from tainting or polluting matter; clean; wholesome"  This is what God does for us through Jesus.  We get "tainted" or "polluted" with sin, problems, negative attitudes, bitterness, envy, hatred, addictions, etc....and Jesus comes in and makes us "clean" and "whole". 

All of us are born human, therefore we are born into a sinful world and over time, we ourselves become sinful and dirty, and impure.  I know I was dirty once and there was a time I gave up the purity to be dirty again. Thank God He doesn't give up on us!

  Many times we don't realize it because we surround ourselves around things and people and places that mask or camoflauge our imperfections and impurities, we sometimes hide behind them in order to make ourselves look good. However, when we compare ourselves to the Purity of Jesus, we realize we need to be like Him, we need Him, and He is the only one who can truly clean us.  Then we can share with others how they can become pure no matter what they've said or done in the past or present.  God is Pure.

 Titus 1:15

To the pure, all things are pure, but to those who are corrupted and do not believe, nothing is pure. In fact, both their minds and consciences are corrupted.

Psalm 51:7

Cleanse me with hyssop, and I will be clean; wash me, and I will be whiter than snow.