November 15, 2000
Reading
“Every word of God is
pure” (5)
There is very little on this earth that is pure. Even “pure gold” or “pure silver” is said to be 99.9% fine or pure, but the Bible tells us that “every word of God is pure. There is nothing polluted about it, which means that it can be trusted and relied upon. If God says it, it is foolishness on our part to doubt it, or perhaps we say we don’t doubt it but we really do not trust it! Isn’t that the same thing? If we really trusted the Word of God we should have no difficulty keeping it and setting it as our standard of living.
The first indication that God keeps His word was in a negative situation. God told Adam that if he ate of the tree of knowledge of good and evil he would die! Adam ate of the tree and death became a reality. He did not drop over dead immediately but the death process began. However, something did happen immediately, man died spiritually. God drove him from the Garden of Eden and placed cherubim at the gate with flaming swords. Sin separated man from God and that is spiritual death.
There was no second chance, no discussion to determine any motive for Adam’s action and no room for arguing. God said it and He meant it. God’s word is pure and must be recognized as such.
Jesus said that if we keep His commandments we would know His joy in our lives: “If you keep my commandments, you will abide in My love, just as I have kept My Father’s commandments and abide in His love. These things I have spoken to You, that my joy may remain in you, and that your joy may be full” John 15:10,11.
That’s a good one, isn’t it? How many of us would love to know the joy of the Lord in our lives on a continuous basis? His Word to us is clear, “keep My commandments”!
Do you remember the parable Jesus told of the man who traveled to a far away country and, before he left, he gave money to his servants for them to care for? Upon his return he asked each one for an accounting of what they had done with his money. Listen to how Jesus tells the rest of the story:
“After a long time the lord of those servants came and settled accounts with them. So he who had received five talents came and brought five other talents, saying, 'Lord, you delivered to me five talents; look, I have gained five more talents besides them.' "His lord said to him, 'Well done, good and faithful servant; you were faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your lord.' "He also who had received two talents came and said, 'Lord, you delivered to me two talents; look, I have gained two more talents besides them.' "His lord said to him, 'Well done, good and faithful servant; you have been faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your lord” Matt 25:19-23.
The servant who had buried his one talent was rebuked by his master and what he had was taken from him. To the others he said, “Well done, thou good and faithful servant. Enter into the joy of your lord.” Can you see how joy is directly related to faithfulness? How faithful are we in keeping the commandments of our Lord.
God is so faithful, His Word is pure, it can be trusted and relied upon. I used to see a bumper sticker that said, “If God said it, I believe it!” It’s a lot easier to put it on our bumper that to live it. May God help us to trust His Word without question.