Proverbs 19-21, 2 Corinthians 7 • Key Verse: 2 Corinthians 7:1
Imagine sitting down at the table for a meal. A place has been set for you. Imagine looking at the
plate and seeing on it the remnants of previous meals eaten from that plate. You just might
protest a bit, especially if you are in a restaurant and don’t know whose food was left on your
plate! Now imagine the waiter saying, “Is there a problem? We set this place for you. What more
could you want?”
Your answer would be immediate. “I want a clean plate!”
Now imagine you are the one setting the table for a very special guest. You would not want him
to ask you, “Would you please bring me a clean plate?” Instead, you would make certain that not
only was a place set for the guest but that it was immaculate.
This illustrates holiness. To be holy means to be “set apart.” In a sense the place at the table is set
apart for you; it is holy. But more is needed for it to be acceptable. It must not only be set apart
but also clean. So it is with holiness.
Paul tells us to be “perfecting holiness out of reverence for God”
(7:1). Being set aside and available are only part of what makes a person holy. We must be
acceptable to God—which will be the result of truly being set apart!
How clean is your life before God? If you know of “dirty food” on your plate, ask God to forgive
you and to help you remove it from your life.
Woodrow Kroll & Tony Beckett
www.backtothebible.in