Pure is not perfect.
- LaRue Howard
- Aug 6, 2022
- 3 min read
My devotional this morning led me to Psalm 26:6-8 that says "Lord I wash my hands to make myself pure , so that I can come to your altar. I sing a song to give you thanks, and I tell about all the wonderful things you have done. Lord, I love the house where you live, the place where your glory is."
Have you ever had a time when you KNOW you did something that wasn't what God wanted you to do or you DIDN'T do what you knew God told you to do? When your heart is submitted to the Lord, there can be such conviction. But other times, there can be condemnation. That was me this morning. I knew God told me not to do something, and I did it anyway. It wasn't a blatant disregard of what He said but nevertheless small disobedience is still disobedience. Anyway, I wasn't looking for this scripture or anything of the sort. But God is so kind and merciful and He knows my heart is to please and to serve Him, that He led me here (I love it when He does that). So I want to share with you.
The NET version of this scripture says "I maintain a pure lifestyle, so I can appear before your altar, o Lord, to give thanks, snd to tell about all of your amazing deeds. o Lord, I love the temple where you live, the place where your splendor is revealed." There's soooo much in this passage that I love but what stood out to me today was verse 6, "I wash my hands to make myself pure" and the other version, "I maintain a pure lifestyle so I can appear before your altar, o Lord". And as I began to ponder over that particular scripture, the Lord whispered to me, Pure is not perfect.
Sometimes we can burden ourselves soooo much trying to be perfect when all God wants is for us to be pure. We know that only Jesus is perfect, but still sometimes the enemy will make us feel condemned for something we did or didn't do and then that makes us paralyzed or stifled, not doing anything, not moving, standing still.
In this life we're living here in the earth, staying clean each and every single day is impossible. There's a lot of things we encounter and have to deal with (social media, people, personal issues, etc). We will fall and make mistakes and mess up in actions or thought. But James 1 says that when we do fall, it's a part of our faith being tested and that testing is actually working patience in us. And when patience is working in us we will come out more mature, more like what God wants us to be. It's how we respond when we do fall that makes the difference. All of this is a part of us being perfect-ED by the mercies and grace of God!
So being pure is the goal, keeping your heart postured before God. Now, listen... this is not a license to sin or anything like that. We are to strive to live a pure and holy life because God is holy. But it's Him who makes us holy. Check out the definition of pure and perfect:
Pure - not mixed with any other material
Perfect - being entirely without fault, flaw, defect
What can you do to make sure you're not "mixed with any other material" or mindset or way or reacting? Guard your heart, because of it flows the issues of life. When you fall, quickly, get up and wash your hands and make yourself pure. God will use this to perfect you, making you complete and whole in Christ Jesus.
Thank u for sharing....the bible is clear , about we (us ) Christians /Genuine believers to bear fruit in keeping with repentance(luke and Mathew 3:8) by that we need to fess up when we miss the mark(1john 1:8-9) remember ur not drown by falling into the water, you drown by staying there.
This is such a good reminder of His love towards us. Love the distinction between pure and perfect. I can truly say that I can identify with experiencing a time (or two) when I KNEW I did something that wasn't what God wanted me to do as well as DIDN'T do what I knew God told me to do. I must say that not obeying Him and feeling I let Him down, is heart wrenching. Then He reminds me: There is, therefore, now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. (Romans 8:1). He picks me up and through His patience, He teaches me. Soooo glad HE knows my heart better than I do!! As I seek to dra…
Thank you so much for sharing this! I needed this. I’ve been struggling with my thoughts lately, mainly thoughts about myself compared to someone else. I know this isn‘t what Papa (my name for God) wants me to do, so I’ve been praying and asking Papa to help me Because I didn’t feel guilt and shame when I think this way. This morning, I read my devotional and the scripture was 2 Corinthians 10:5, I like how TPT says it, it says we can demolish every deceptive fantasy that opposes God and breakthrough every arrogant attitude that is raised up in defiance of the true knowledge of God. We capture, like prisoners of war, every thought and insist that i…
Thank you for sharing! Progress not Perfect! Everyday I strive to getting closer to God. Some days are good and other days are better. for me, that’s progress. No turning back. Keeping my eyes forward to reach the goal…perfection(Jesus)
Thank you for sharing this word pastor LaRue! Yes as we aspire to be more pure we will also become more in the image of the only perfect one Jesus Christ! He does say be holy as I am Holy. Conviction is a blessing that God does not let us get too far from him. Some feel the condemnation and give up and go farther away from God. As you say we just need to cleanse ourself ask God to show us our shortcomings and depend on his help. In his presence is fullness of joy and the refiner's Fire doesn't always feel good but it's always going to take us to another level!
God gave me a similar message…