NOV 10

Acts 5:1-11
Memorise Psalm 51:10
“Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me.”

The Bible says that we are the temple of God, and His Spirit dwells within us (1 Corinthians 3:16). This being the case, how could God possibly be pleased with us and our service in His name if we defile ourselves with sinful thoughts or acts? In the early days of the New Testament Church, two characters by the names of Ananias and Sapphira were struck dead by the Holy Spirit for lying. God did so in order to show the church how serious sin is, and that it must not be tolerated. In giving such a strong punishment in this incident, the church would be quick to realise the importance of holiness in serving the Lord.

This is not restricted to the New Testament as we also see God’s holy standards in passages such as Psalm 51. This was a psalm written by David in repentance for his sin of adultery and murder, but it also teaches that personal sanctification (holiness) is extremely important if we are to serve the Lord effectively. He wrote, “Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me” (Psalms 51:10) followed by “Then will I teach transgressors thy ways; and sinners shall be converted unto thee” (Psalms 51:13) because he realized that he could not be a good witness for God if he himself had unconfessed sins and wilfully persisted in his unrepentant ways. Likewise, the high priest would be struck dead instantly if he would regard any iniquity in his heart while performing his duties in the Holy of Holies in Old Testament times. He had to first confess his sins and offer a sin offering to God before he could perform his Levitical duties.

Spiritual work acceptable to God requires that the believer performing it first be holy and pure inwardly before the actual act of doing it. Hence, we must not only repent of all known sins in preparation for service, we must also live lives which are patterned after our Lord Jesus Christ in holiness every day in order to become clean vessels, fit for the Master’s use.

Thought: We are serving a God who sees and knows everything and nothing can be hidden from Him.
Prayer: If thou, LORD, shouldest mark iniquities, O Lord, who shall stand? (Psalm 130:3) Thank You for being a merciful God.