"God would not rub so hard if it were not to fetch out the dirt that is ingrained in our natures. God loves purity so well He had rather see a hole than a spot in His child's garments." - William Gurnall
The other day I was poring over some mail when I noticed that the lenses of my reading glasses were in desperate need of cleaning. It's not that I'm lazy or forgetful, I just hadn't realized how grimy they had become until I literally couldn't see out of them any longer.
Then it occurred to me. If something as simple as reading glasses can become grungy enough to obscure our vision, isn't it possible that our hearts can become contaminated enough to keep us from seeing God progressively? And, how does this affect us?
We wouldn't let houseguests use soiled linens or eat off of dirty dishes. What would they think? In the same respect, we would not want anything to taint, or corrupt our relationship with God, who is perfect. Therefore it is necessary to make ourselves presentable to Him. We need to "clean" ourselves up a bit.
It's likely that you've run across this concept before labeled under terms such as: sanctification, holiness, purity, or consecration. Let us set deeper, theological debate aside for the moment and focus on our "cleanliness" with respect to our relationship with God.
Recall the temple sacrifices in the Old Testament. There were strict guidelines regarding the purity of the sacrificial animals (Deuteronomy 17:1). Jesus himself, was a "perfect, clean, and stainless" sacrifice (2 Corinthians 5:21).
Obviously, this cleansing process isn't something that can be accomplished by a good scrubbing with soap and water. Sin is the real culprit within us, just as dirt is on our skin and clothing. Since all are contaminated with sin, we must be cleansed before becoming true followers of God (Romans 3:23).
After David confessed the sin of his adultery, he then bathed and changed his clothing prior to worshiping the Lord in 2 Samuel 12:20. In this way, he could present himself to God in a clean and unsoiled state. Jesus died for "our" sins on the cross. Even so, that didn't leave us totally off the hook.
A true believer in Christ must understand that our cleansing, or purification requires us to become a living sacrifice to Him. This includes repentance of our sins, devotion to Him, and separating ourselves from the corruption of the world.
Comparable to the holy temple sacrifices in the Old Testament, we have been made "acceptable" to God because of Christ's death. But that is only part of it. The Bible tells us that, we as believers are to be a "holy" people who are separate, or apart from the world (2 Corinthians 6:17). However, this cannot happen without being holy and pleasing to the Lord (Romans 12:1-2).
Scripture: 1 Corinthians 6:20; Psalm 51:17; 2 Timothy 2:20-21; John 4:24; Isaiah 1:16-20
Prayer: Dear Lord, may You be merciful to me and wipe away my sins. Create in me a pure heart, and a new, loyal spirit. May I also always feel Your presence in my life. Amen
Have a blessed and safe weekend!
Kaye
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