Following His call to holiness, as we looked at in our last post, the Holy Spirit shared a revealing truth.
“Oh, I say, it breaks my heart—there are many who call themselves by my name and their hearts are far from me and they practice filthiness in secret. I say to you that you will not enter in on that day, for I will not have known you! I say, come to me and cleanse yourselves and be holy even as I am holy! For that is what I call you to.”
Three thoughts filled my mind as I read, and re-read, and then read again, this word.
• There is the obvious place of being very cognizant of my personal integrity; that is, not having secret, sinful practices.
• Then there is the one that has constantly been a personal check. It is to avoid being one who used the Lord’s name, but still missed out altogether,
“Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.”
– Matthew 7:22-23 KJV
(Which, upon reflection, is a sinful cousin to the first thought of practicing secret sin but then add to that the work of the ministry in hypocrisy.)
• Finally, it’s to ensure I applied Paul’s own admission of practicing self-control, keeping my body under control as he kept his body in subjection to the Spirit:
“Therefore I run in such a way, as not without aim; I box in such a way, as not beating the air; but I discipline my body and make it my slave, so that, after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified.”
– 1 Corinthians 9:26-27 NASB
And all those things are good, and right, and profitable. All those things, coupled with coming to Him in repentance, is what He has called me to do. When my heart is broken through conviction, the Lord is there; after all, in His goodness and mercy and grace He heals the brokenhearted.
But as I read that word over again, I wondered: where does the Lord go when He is brokenhearted? I, in my broken-heartedness, can go to Him, but where does He go when His heart breaks?
Then I realized His destination.
He comes to me…and He comes to you.
Just as He came into this world.
