How shall we justify ourselves


WAX or GOLD?
[Genesis 44-47]

… “What shall we say unto my lord? what shall we speak? or how shall we justify ourselves? …”
[Gen 44:16]

Have you ever thought about what it would be like to stand before God on the Day of Judgment?

To stand before the One whose eyes are like blazing fire – whose gaze penetrates into the very depths of our soul?

Can we seriously think we can stand before Him and say, “He/she started it… I did it because….” and hope to get away with it?

He knows if we are truly sincere, or whether we use His Grace & the death of His Son as a license to do whatever we want and then claim amnesty and immunity.

I’ve been thinking a lot about it lately. The One whom we call “Father” is alethinos which means that He actually does what He speaks, and He speaks only what is in His heart… total integrity… no gaps… no falsehoods…

And He has given us His Holy Spirit to grow us up into people of integrity – those who speak what is in their heart & fulfil the words of their mouth.

Kintsugi is the art of mending broken pottery with gold, making it stronger & more beautiful than before… no crack is hidden… instead it celebrates the art of the one who restored it.

The Greeks had a way of mending broken pottery with wax. They would fix the pieces together with wax and paint over it so that the cracks would not be seen. It would break the moment you tried to use it… The word sincere means without wax [ sin (no) + cere (wax) – Latin]

God doesn’t despise the broken – in fact, again and again He tells us that He dwells with the broken-hearted binding their wounds.

We can choose what we want to be – God-mended-“kintsugi” pots or continue to “cover” our brokenness with wax and paint.

Joseph tested his brothers to see their sincerity …. He made sure that they had not come with “wax & paint” to him.

Even if we have been living “wax & paint” lives, Jesus invites us to come to HIM, allow HIM to fill the cracks & gaps between our walk & talk… and learn from HIM how to walk lives of complete integrity.

Abba Father, forgive me for all the “wax & paint” jobs in my life. I come to You. You alone can heal what is broken, and fill the gaps, to make me a person of total integrity. May my brokenness display Your Glory & Grace… for I am YOUR workmanship, and I want to live for Your Glory. In Jesus Name. Amen.

AD