God’s calling, God’s will is that we be sanctified, holy, pure. Robert Murry McCain spoke at the ordination of the young Dan Edwards in the 1860’s. He said something like this. “Mr. Edwards, Do not forget the inner man, the heart. The calvery officer knows that his life depends upon his saber so he keeps it clean. Every stain he wipes off with the greatest care. Mr. Edwards, you are God’s chosen instrument. According to your purity so shall be your success. It is not great talent, it is not great ideas that God uses. It is great likeness to Jesus Christ. Mr. Edwards, A holy man is an awesome weapon in the hand of God.” – Chapter 4, Found God’s Will, John MacArthur
“According to your purity so shall be your success.” What a great truth for us to remember! The success of our ministries, of our services, of our work, of our prayers does not depend on our wisdom, on our power, on our ability, on our circumstances, on others, on our knowledge, on our talent or ideas, but it depends much on our purity.
D.L. Moody once quote Henry Varley when he said to him,
‘Moody, the world has yet to see what God will do with a man fully consecrated to him.’
Upon hearing this D.L. Moody silently vowed, “By God’s help, I aim to be that man.”
This also ought to be our aim, our goal, to actively pursue purity before God, according to our purity so will be our success.
If we want to to be used by God, we must pursue purity.
“Therefore, if anyone cleanses himself from what is dishonorable, he will be a vessel for honorable use, set apart as holy, useful to the master of the house, ready for every good work” (2 Tim. 2:21)
If our ministries are failing, this is the first place we should examine. Not our methods, not our means, not our circumstances but our own life. Searching for the invasion of sin, disobedience, laziness, business, disregard, unbelief, self centeredness, pride that so easily pollutes, contaminates and weakens us and our effectiveness. Our relationship to God, is our strength. If we allow anything to come in between us we will lose our effectiveness, because it is He that makes us effective, not us or anything we have to offer him.
“Not that we are sufficient in ourselves to claim anything as coming from us, but our sufficiency is from God” (2 Cor. 3:5 ESV).
We must pursue holiness. We must daily put off sin and not shrug our shoulders when it invades. Not close our eyes. Not compare our sin level to those sin levels around us and make sure that we are still a bit lower then everyone else. We must seek 100% purity. We must seek to become like Christ.
“And everyone who thus hopes in him purifies himself as he is pure” (1 John 3:3 ESV).
According to your purity so shall be your success.
What this looks like for me.
It gives me pause and causes me to question, where have I compromised in my faith? Where have I silently conformed and said good enough instead of giving all in order to pursue purity before God? Where have I grown lazy and lax in putting off sin? May the Lord, help me to stay awake and watchful.
