March 11: OPEN YOUR EYES

But there shall by no means enter it anything that defiles, or causes an abomination or a lie, but only those who are written in the Lamb’s Book of Life. Revelation 21:27

The distinction between righteousness and unrighteousness is forcefully and repeatedly brought to our attention in the Word of God, not because God is in any way manipulative but due to the fact that we have an enemy who subtly and relentlessly works to push aside the truth. Satan exploits our own fleshly tendencies, using them against us, to condition our minds toward unrighteousness. He brazenly challenges every point, hoping that on at least one of them, he can bring about our downfall. Many have been misled by Satan’s “obstacle course” that produces pretzel-like spiritual contortions and convoluted reasoning that contradict the simple truths of the Bible.

But the integrity of God’s word is unmatched and indestructible. It is written in such a way as to awaken us to apparent contradictions, causing the growing Christian to overcome the habit of casual, superficial reading. Such a habit can become so deeply ingrained that it leads to deadly misunderstandings of God’s message (see Matthew 7:21; 2 Peter 3:16).

Awake, awake! Put on your strength, O Zion; put on your beautiful garments, O Jerusalem, the holy city. For the uncircumcised and the unclean shall no longer come to you. Isaiah 52:1

It is vital to understand what is meant by anything that defiles. The Old Testament is replete with warnings against bringing idols into the temple, impure sexual behaviors, and uncleanness with regards to the dietary instruction that scavenger animals are not food. These basic teachings carry a spiritual weight meant to have a continuous cleansing effect on 1) our perception of God, whose purity and holiness is yet beyond our grasp, 2) our thought-life, and 3) our daily habits (see 1 Corinthians 10:31) which are a constant example (good or bad) for others.

There is something that defiles the temple of God about which Satan has caused a terrible blindness. It is a prevailing spirit of criticism, causing us to sometimes bite and devour one another (Galatians 5:15). Jesus came to fulfill the law, and He did it perfectly. His followers are called to fulfill it as well. For all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” (v.14) The world has become adept at redefining words. The word “love” has come to mean approval of the “anything goes” lifestyle rather than presenting Biblical truth, for fear of offending someone. But God’s life within the heart of a transformed Christian exhibits itself winsomely. As God works patiently to bring all of His people all the way out of Babylon – freeing them from every false teaching that causes an abomination – those who claim to have the light of truth must prayerfully seek to draw people to Him. Any address toward another person by a professed Christian that is devoid of grace causes . . . a lie regarding the character of God. Let us pray fervently for ourselves and each other, that we may act as agents to draw precious souls closer to Him. Never forget God’s purpose for your life!

But when the king came in to see the guests, he saw a man there who did not have on a wedding garment. So he said to him, “Friend, how did you come in here without a wedding garment?” And he was speechless. Matthew 22:11-12