“Behold, You desire truth in the inward parts, and in the hidden part You will make me to know wisdom.” Psalm 51:6

 Judged by Sunlight

Walk His Way Revisited
First Posted in June, 2014

Dusting. What a chore. I just finish with it, and then a sunbeam shines through a window, allowing me to see all the dust particles in the air just waiting to land back on that freshly polished furniture.

Window washing. Yuk. No matter what cleaning fluid I use, no matter what cloth or paper to wipe it with, I will overlook something. The sunlight streams in, showing the streaks. It screams at me, “You missed a spot!”

Back in Bible times, unscrupulous pottery-sellers would put the urns, pots, and jugs that had been broken and repaired in a dimly lit area of their booth at the marketplace. Cracks would be filled in with wax or covered with paint or dyes so that it would not be apparent that there was a defect. A savvy buyer knew to hold the pottery up to the sunlight in order to show any problems. The sun would shine through the crack, proving the worthlessness of the pot.

The word that is translated “judged by sunlight” in the Bible is sincerity. *Sincerity in Scripture means:

transparent honesty,

genuine purity,

manifested clarity,

unsullied innocence.

This describes someone with nothing to hide. She has nothing to fear when being examined by either man or God. Her motives and intentions are pure.

When our life is held up against the light of truth as found in the Word, will it show forth a crack in our honesty and purity—a crack that, perhaps, we have tried to cover up, or have filled in with glue that we hope will hold us together when the bumps and breakings come into our lives?

Although our sins are forgiven and we stand innocent before God, still the Church is admonished in Scripture to live in sincerity and truth. This is a testimony to the world that God has re-made us into the image of His Son. We are a new creation. The old pot has passed away. For we were once guilty, cracked, broken, and useless to Him (He saw right through us!), but now we are whole, new, and capable of being used by our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

Among other things, we are told to be sincere (honest, pure, clear, and innocent):

In love (2 Corintians 6:2, 1 Peter 1:22);

In faith (1 Timothy 1:5);

In our heart for serving man (Colossians 3:22); and

In serving the Lord (Joshua 24:14).

When the Son shines through us, may we be found without spot or blemish!

Lord, this is a work that only You can do. All we can do is patch up the cracks. Re-make us, that we may be a vessel that pleases You. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

*Spirit-Filled Life Bible. Notes at 1 Corinthians 5:8  Thomas Nelson Publishers.