AUG 02 – A VESSEL MADE HOLY!

“Go, for he is a chosen vessel of mine to bear my name” (Acts 9:15).

“If one cleanses himself, I will use him as a holy vessel” is the promise of God. Think of the term, ‘If one cleanses himself’ again.

There were numerous ways of cleansing in the Old Testament. ‘Cleansed by the sprinkling of blood’ (Lev 16:19), ‘Made atonement for the purpose of cleansing’ (Lev 16:30), ‘He shall purify himself with the water’ (Numbers 19:12) and ‘They used perfumes to cleanse women’ (Esther 2:12).

In the New Testament, the Scripture says about the cleansing of the conscience. “….how much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without spot to God, cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?” (Hebrews 9:14). “He had by Himself purged our sins” (Hebrews 1:3). ‘If you cleanse yourself, I will use you as a holy vessel’ is the promise of God.

If there is an exclusive chapter in the Scripture to explain cleansing, it is nothing but Psalm number 51. There, David pleads to God to remove the following three things from him to get cleansed. 1. Blot out my transgressions, 2. Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity and 3. Cleanse me from my sin. See how he cries saying, “Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean” (Psalms 51:1, 2, 7).

God had a great aim in the life of Moses. It was nothing but to deliver His children from Egypt and take them to the land of Canaan. God had to cleanse and prepare Moses for that. God said, “Take your sandals off your feet, for the place where you stand is holy ground” (Exodus 3:5). Remaining holy is essential for those who do God’s work. For this, God cleansed Moses for forty years. God made Moses forget all the tricks which he had learnt in the palace of Pharaoh and made him rely upon Himself.

Dear children of God, God might have been guiding you past several exercises. Never become weary as you have been waiting for a very long time. Never forget that God wants to cleanse you and make you holy. The Scripture says, “Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time” (I Peter 5:6).

To meditate: “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (I John 1:9).