Unstained?

Unstained?

by David Brenneman 

James 1:27c NASB "and to keep oneself unstained by the world.'

That caught me this morning. When thinking about those whom I know who often are in the midst of many things, stained seems to fit. 

Stained by people critical of them causing them to go down a path they normally wouldn't have gone.

Stained by people bullying them causing them to retreat from people. 

Stained by sins that were avoidable but they didn't resist. 

Stained by pride so they cut off the relationship rather than work through it.

Stains happen in relationships and no amount of physical detergent will clean it. 

Unstained by the world...we go out into a very dirty sin-cursed world every day.  It's near impossible to not return at the end of the day tainted. We need the cleansing power of the Spirit to make us clean again.

I have known people who went the wrong way in Spiritual battles. Now they are much farther from God than they ever were.  Yet they don't see it.  In time I am sure that they will go through the Prodigal Son process much as I have in my life. 

The most persistent person in the world isn't any of us, it's the Spirit of God.

We are His workmanship created in Christ Jesus for good works that we might walk in them. Ephesians 2:10.

There's no maybe about that work beginning in the life of a Believer and no maybe that it will be accomplished. 

In Christ Jesus stains will be removed. 

We will see life differently and won't be able to unsee it God's way.  Ezekiel got a broad education on seeing people and the world as Jesus saw and sees it. Truth was revealed over and over to Ezekiel and he was required to tell those in Jerusalem what truth that the Lord Jesus Christ had to say.

We get stained so easily and aren't as concerned about it as we should be. 

We listen to the world in regards to relabeling sin as entertainment.  We listen to the world and relabel sin as mistakes.  We listen to the world in how to begin or end relationships.  We have millions of self-help books and as Believers we only need one...the Bible. 

Look at your choices. 

Look at your decisions.

Look at what you've surrounded yourself with in possessions. 

Look at where your money goes. 

It's time to turn and ask God to cleanse once more to start the day with eyes that see and to have ears that hear so that we might turn and be healed.