“DECONTAMINATE”

“And everyone who thus hopes in him purifies himself as he is pure.”

1 John 3:3

Have you ever had a very important guest in your home? If so, how did you prepare for them? Perhaps, you spent at least a week de-cluttering, cleaning up, organizing, and decontaminating. I’m not going to be surprised if you even had your hair done. That’s because when a VIP visits us, we want to be as neat and presentable as possible. We don’t want them to say anything bad about us or our place.

In today’s verse, John tells us what every believer does as he awaits Christ’s return. A Christian hopes (Greek “elpis, which means ”to expect good, i.e., joyful and confident expectation of eternal salvation”) in Jesus. He is certain about going to heaven, so he purifies (Greek “hagnizo,” meaning, “to cleanse one’s self morally) himself. The reason he strives to remain morally pure is that Jesus is pure (Greek “hagnos,” which conveys “chaste, clean”). He wants to be like Christ.

Every Christian understands that being identified with Jesus means having the desire to be like Him. I am referring to His moral excellence. He is pure through and through. He does not turn a blind eye to sin. Therefore, a child of God follows the Lord’s example. He yields to the Holy Spirit’s leading by obeying God’s word. He loves the things God loves and hates the things God hates.

When a person is excited about the Lord’s return, he maintains a healthy relationship with God by obeying God’s word. He doesn’t last a day without spending time in prayer, Bible study, and worship. There is no compromise in him. To him, wrong is wrong, and he doesn’t want to take part in it because he knows God sees everything. More importantly, he steers clear of evil not because he is afraid that God might hurt him, but because he might hurt God. Therefore he keeps himself pure.

The return of the Lord Jesus gives us hope as it motivates us to live a sanctified life. In that regard, we want to be doing what we’re supposed to be doing at His Second Coming.

Are you thrilled to finally meet the Lord face to face? If so, how do you prepare yourself for that big day? Do you keep away from evil and decontaminate yourself? If you do your best in preparing your home and self just because an important person will visit you, how much more should you get ready for your Lord’s glorious return?

Pursue the Savior today!