Habakkuk 1:13a – But you are pure and cannot stand the sight of evil. Will you wink at their treachery? (NLT)

With most of the world's rivers, streams, lakes, and oceans too polluted to safely drink from without purification, we were looking at one that was 98 percent pure.

While on vacation, my wife and I visited Forbidden Caverns near Pigeon Forge, Tennessee, USA. As we descended more than 300 feet to the lowest point of our tour, we saw flowing water, a river that came from somewhere high above and snaked through cracks and openings in the cavern to flow into the bowels of the earth. Looking at the water, I could tell that it was different. Moonshiners and native Americans once used it to ply their trade and survive in the wild — and without harm. Our guide told us why. The water was 98 percent pure. One could drink it without risk of harm — no need for filtration.

God's purity is greater than the cavern water. Throughout all 66 books of the Bible, God is proclaimed as pure — 100 percent. Pagan gods were untrustworthy and not always after the best interests of their followers, but the God of Israel was different. Not one iota of evil attaches itself to His character, and He expects His followers to adhere to the same code of conduct. Trouble is, I'm not pure, nor can I be by my own power.

Polluted water can be made drinkable by filtration. While hiking and backpacking, I've drunk from many questionable water sources, but I protected myself by filtering the water. When it comes to my nature, I can't do anything to make it pure. I can try turning over new leaves — and I may do well temporarily, but I can't make myself good permanently. Bad attitudes, foul language, greedy thoughts, and lustful looking will creep in.

God must have known that He was requiring something that I wasn't capable of, since He sent His pure Son to do for humanity what we couldn't do for ourselves. When I accept what Christ did on Calvary's cross, I'm given His righteousness — His purity. God considers my sin debt paid, not because I paid it but because His Son paid it for me. I have been filtered by the blood of Christ and made 100 percent pure.

Don't try to be good so that God will accept you. Accept God, and let Him change your nature.

Prayer: Father, we thank You for doing for us what we could never do for ourselves. Amen.

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About the author:

Martin Wiles <mandmwiles@gmail.com>
Greenwood, South Carolina, USA
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