Thoughts for another day

Dec. 7, 2012.

Today's verse: Zechariah 3:3. Now Joshua was clothed with filthy garments, and stood before the angel. (KJV)

(Pls. read the above before you read further. Thanks)

Yesterday when in prayer, I thought of all the sins I commit and the ways in which I vex the Lord.  Now before I write further, I'd like to say that all of us without a shade of doubt love to remain clean unless it's not possible; and also adorn our bodies with good clothes; put on some ornaments and perfume so that when we appear before people, we may impress them, don't we?  As I thought further, I looked around in the prayer room of our church where the people go to pray and where I like to spend my evening, even if briefly.  I saw that I wore decent clothes and looked clean and most people also looked clean.  On various days that I've been to the prayer room, I noticed the poor who wear not so good clothes and are perhaps shabbily dressed and even some eunuchs who come, usually move to a less visible corner; and doing what they have come to do, move away quickly and very inconspicuously so as to not attract attention.

Suddenly my mind moved to how my soul might look before God!  It dawned on me that it would look like Joshua did when he stood before the angel, in our Scripture today.  Ah, a dreadful sight: filthy, unkempt, disheveled and utterly ugly to look at.  My friend, so disgusted was I with the sight of my soul that I couldn't raise my eyes before the Lord and I spoke and told Him, 'Lord, I look so disgusting…'  My eyes became moist and there was much anguish in me.  I thought to myself, 'before the world, I like to be seen as fabulous, but what about, before the Lord?'  For to the Lord, our outer appearances don't matter; it's our souls He is interested in; what will He say when He sees our souls?   Next, what will He do to us who're so awfully filthy?  What do we do when a filthy, dirty person comes and sits next to us in a bus?  We move away isn't it?  Then what about God before whom we are even more dirty than the filthiest of persons; for God is Holy and Pure; Unblemished with absolutely no stain!

God can also move away from us and if He does, we are doomed, but God doesn't do that.   Instead He clothes us with white raiment and makes us 'priests' and 'kings' in His Kingdom; remember Jesus washes us clean and makes us as white as snow.  For such a great God, isn't it possible that I atleast do a little internal cleaning?  I guess it is right and proper and in this season of advent which most Christians are following, won’t it be fabulous if we but attempt to be clean before Him, even if it costs us a little?  Think about it.