Purity is a sign of true dedication to Christ. We imagine heaven as white, with fluffy clouds, angels all in white, and God with a white flowing beard.
Even in movies, God always wears a white suit, pure as he walks among humanity, as different in his holiness as we are wearing our feet of clay.
We work hard to avoid the pitfalls of sin, to keep our robes spotless, and to remain ever vigilant for the day of our Savior’s return. Our mountaintop fortress of faith can be a bastion of beauty, a beacon to draw the world to Christ. It’s when we look out from our summit of success that we must be careful.
When we let our achievements in Christ become an ivory tower, our Christianity becomes a tottering stepladder, and if we’re not careful, we’ll fall right off.
Our first two admonishments come from Colossians:
Colossians 3:1 says it is Christ who has raised us up, and it is not from our own actions.
“If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God.”
Colossians 3:2 tells us to keep our eyes trained on God, not on our fellow man.
“Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth.”
The deal is, we need to get off our ivory tower and jump into the boat with our fellow Christians. When we all row together, the passage becomes easier for each participant.
We find three encouragements in the book of Romans:
Romans 3:23 assures us everyone leaves the dock in the same spiritual boat.
“For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.”
Romans 6:23 reveals our life jacket, if we choose to put it on.
“For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
Romans 14:1 encourages us to offer a rescuing hand and pull others aboard.
“As for the one who is weak in faith, welcome him, but not to quarrel over opinions.”
The Christian standing aloof from the world is the one we should pity. It’s hard to stand on that tower of perfection all alone with no one to hold our hand. It’s easier to be at the oars, with our fellow believers at our shoulders, rowing away for all we’re worth. It means we might occasionally break a sweat, but that’s okay. Everyone around us will be working just as hard as we are.
When we put our shoulders into our Christian walk, the work of Christ will be accomplished in no time at all.
Copyright © 2016 MyChurchNotes.net
Originally Published 7-12-16 in Relationships