A poetic presentation of thoughts that should bring us back to humility and pureness of heart.

“… the iniquity of holy things …”

Holy can be replaced with righteous, good, honorable, noble, wholesome, etc if you so choose.

To think that our desires for improvement in certain areas of life could indeed come from a corrupt or misguided heart is certainly humbling. And it should make us think twice.

Don’t get me wrong here- I’m not speaking on some over spiritualized or religious dogma.

Nope…I am talking about each and every person that walks the face of this earth regardless of beliefs. (Though I cannot dismiss my personal beliefs and values which stand on Biblical principles.)

I see a lot of people wanting to “do good.”
I see a lot of people “doing good.”
I also see a lot of people doing good for their own sake.

It would behoove each of us to regularly reflect and check the pulse of pureness in our “holy” habits.

Dr. Edward Payson, an American congregational preacher once wrote:

“My parish, as well as my heart, very much resemble the garden of the sluggard; and what is worse, I find that very many of my desires for the improvement of both proceed from pride, vanity, laziness.

I look at the weeds which grow and breathe out of an earnest wish that they were eradicated. But what prompts the wish?

I walk out and say to myself, ‘In what fine order is my garden kept!’ This can be pride.

Or it may be that my neighbor says ‘How finely your garden flourishes!’ This can easily turn to vanity.

Or I may simply wish for the destruction of the weeds because I am weary of pulling.

This is laziness.”

Even our desires for “holiness” can be polluted by ill motives.

Check your motives, folks!

Written by:
Paul Beam