Young people often underestimate how the Lord might use them for His glory even at an early age. Yet, the Lord frequently used children and young people to accomplish great feats. One such case is the testimony of the unnamed lad who supplied five barley loaves and two small fishes. Though his name and age are unknown, his selflessness and availability are not. The Lord took his insignificant meal and multiplied it until it was able to feed five thousand men, plus women and children. The Lord did not refuse the lad for service due to his inexperience or inabilities. He merely needed the lad’s availability. In like manner, God desires to use young people today. All He needs is for a young person to make himself available and leave the results to God.
The story of Esther is a wonderful story. As she and the other ladies prepared to present themselves before king Ahasuerus, they were provided with “things for purification.” The king considered their purity extremely important. The same principle holds true for the believers today. The Bible says, “Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is. And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure” (1 John 3:2-3). Christians, soon to be presented to king Jesus, should grow increasingly concerned about their purity.
Purity often involves a process. The twofold purification process in the believer's life commences at the moment of salvation. This process then progresses as the believer walks with the Lord. The individual's faith in the finished work of Christ washes away one's sin in Christ’s blood. Christ's blood cleanses completely and purifies every believer from his sin. This cleansing and purification remains forever settled between the Lord and the believer. The born-again Christian will never and can never again be any less pure in his position with the Lord. Peter confirms the positional purity when he wrote that his audience had “purified” (past tense) their souls (1 Peter 1:22). Our purity in position, settled by trusting Christ as Saviour (Titus 2:14), cannot be reversed. However, positional purity does not guarantee purity on a daily basis during our walk. The Christian's practice (his walk) must by choice remain pure.
