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A Sacrifice of Purification

Feb 18, 2021 Topics: Holy, Lent, Scripture: Psalm 139:23-24

“Search me God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me and lead me in the way everlasting.” Psalm 139:23-24

Sin steals life from God and separates us from His presence.

In Old Testament practices a purification sacrifice was viewed as giving life back (in the form of an animal sacrifice) to God as a replacement for what humanity took from Him.

You can read the lengthy explanation of the Old Testament purification sacrificial practices beginning in Leviticus 4, but the point of such a sacrifice was to provide atonement for sin.

As followers of Christ, we are called to seek holiness. In fact, Jesus said, “Be holy, as I am holy.”

Let’s face it; however, we can’t attain such holiness without a replacement of the sin we have in our life. We need to purify our lives and get rid of the sin which dwells within us.

To be pure means to be made of only one substance and not mixed with anything else.

If we are, as Jesus calls us, “the light of the world,” or “the salt of the earth,” then we can’t mix darkness or other impurities in our lives such as sin which takes away from the full source of light or pure salt.

We need to spend time filling our hearts, minds, and souls with only the true substance of our faith, Jesus Christ. Anything else, or anyone else, only takes away from the purity of our Savior.

Ask God often to clean your heart and mind. Ask God for forgiveness and search for ways to fill your eyes, ears, mouths, and bodies with pure thoughts, images, words, and usage.

Prayer: Holy God, like the Psalmist wrote, search our hearts. Reveal to us our impurities and cleanse us. Make us white as snow. Forgive us when we mix sin and darkness into our lives and guide us towards true holiness. Amen.