Dear Hope family,

Thought for the Week

“Being Pure and Blameless for the Day of Christ”

Philippians 1v9-10 “That your love may abound … so that you may be … pure and blameless for the day of Christ …’” (NIV)

It is not generally difficult to spot another person’s faults!

• The world loves to talk about the faults of others.
• “Religion” of all forms has tended to establish “fault-lines” by which people are “in” or “out”.

The good news is that Jesus died to remove our sin and change us to be pure and blameless. Tony used the verse on Sunday “Be transformed by the renewing of your mind”: there is both a one off change in our hearts, and an ongoing process of transformation and renewal. As we spend time with Jesus in the Word and in Worship, he changes us in preparation for that final day.

The word “pure” refers to an inner purity of heart: a heart that is filled with good good desires and good loves. We know that people “look at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart” (1 Samuel 16v7). In the above verse from Philippians, the changing of the heart is rooted in a love that abounds more and more: this is a genuine and complete love for God, love for his children and love for the lost. And genuine love leads to genuine purity. “We love because he first loved us”, but also “Whoever loves God must also love his brother.” (1 John 4v19&21)

Being “pure” of heart, also leads to being “blameless” in action. Of course, people may still find blame in you compared to their relative “fault-lines”. But God’s fault-lines are based on his love which is absolute, continual and total. The remarkable thing is that you who are in Christ will be found blameless on that last day! – Because of Jesus!

With love and blessing,

Roland