15 To the pure, all things are pure, but to those who are corrupted and do not believe, nothing is pure. In fact, both their minds and consciences are corrupted.
I have been amazed over the years that some non-believers know the Word. They know the dates and places, but their hearts are in rebellion against the Lord. They don’t want to submit to anyone. They want to be in charge. They don’t want to bend their will. Some people get offended that the Lord commanded the Israelites to kill all the inhabitants of the Promised Land as they entered. That offends them. When understood in context, it makes perfect sense. God is establishing a holy people in a holy place. He has to have a clean slate. He knows the corrupting influences present in the land. He wants the best for His people. No one would want to drink water from a toilet, except maybe your dog! No matter how much you scrub it, you still would not drink from it. That is what unbelief does. Nothing pure can exist there. Everything gets tainted by the vessel. But everyone would be willing to drink from a crystal water pitcher. The vessel makes the difference. I want to be discipled by someone who lives the life they are teaching about. I don’t want them to be unrepentant and involved in gross sin. Their public and private life must match with their message. Other professions don’t have this same level of accountability. You can be a lawyer and be a drunk, and still do your professional job. But ministers are held to a higher standard, and rightly so. Politicians can do just about anything and get away with it! Everyone knows they are lying every time they open their mouths. We don’t expect otherwise. I want to encourage you to expect a high standard from leaders and from ourselves. If we don’t expect it from ourselves, we shouldn’t expect it from them. Live a higher standard.
The Arnold Journey 