Every Word of God is Pure
God is…
— a consuming fire….
— a jealous God…
— angry with the wicked…
— the judge…
— no respecter of persons…
— a consuming fire…
The scripture goes on telling us many things that God is. Of course we can find multiple verses in the Bible which speak of God’s goodness, but when I read words such as above, I do not always think that words like anger, judge, jealous, etc. are words that correlate with the word “pure.” EVERY WORD OF GOD IS PURE, says the proverb writer. Nonetheless, I surrender my understanding to the Word and will of God. If God can be “angry,” he can do it in purity. If God is a jealous God, as He himself pronounces, then, I must understand that he is able to do this with the purist of motives.
I am convinced this is why Chaplains are able to continue to work with prison inmates, with enemy combatants, with those who oppose those in authority, and others who we see undermining our society. We don’t like it, but we see that God was able to emote and do it in purity.
To all of our chaplains I say… the burden of your labors are intense, heavy, and often seem to be without reward, but your continued commitment to the Kingdom of God, the Church and the community will be seen by others as a sustaining power to continue in their own toils. Be faithful as we see the Day of the Lord approaching.
Dr. Jake Popejoy
Coordinator, Training and Community Service Chaplains
