Truly Clean
A faint taste of soap lingers in my mouth. I recently brushed my teeth and apparently, my toothbrush had served as a scrub brush in the hand of a certain 21-month-old mighty man of God. The unpleasant realization of this didn't happen gradually, as soon as I began brushing, WHAM! Toothpaste is NOT the only substance on this toothbrush! Rarely does this everyday activity get accomplished in such haste. Get the soap out of here! was the only thought on my mind. Well, not the ONLY thought. There were also frequent thanks that the other substance on my toothbrush was something as clean as soap:) Those with small children will completely understand.
ANYWAY...my ramblings are going somewhere, really. As I was brushing---quickly---I couldn't help but think about how often the same thing happens in my relationship with Jesus Christ. How many times have I attempted to "clean up my act" with the wrong cleaner? Day after day I attempt to straighten up and behave correctly relying on my own strength instead of confessing my sins (1 John 1:9) and receiving forgiveness through Christ. Just as bar soap is not designed to clean our teeth, my human efforts are not designed to clean my heart. In fact, these sincere, yet faulty attempts on my own behalf could very well poison my heart further in the same way ingesting too much soap will poison my body. Also, how often, even though I am aware that my actions aren't accomplishing what I want them to, do I continue to try scrubbing my heart clean on my own? Why don't I just quit brushing? Why don't I quit before the "soap" of my own efforts has been spread throughout my entire heart?
As much as I desire to be clean and righteous before my Lord, if I don't follow the instructions in His Word, my actions can be in direct opposition to those desires. God couldn't have made the cleansing of my heart any simpler. "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness." 1 John 1:9. (Notice I said "simpler" not "easier".) All I need to do is confess those sins. "He who walks in the Spirit will not fulfill the lust of the flesh." Galatians 5:16 Confess my sins and walk in the Spirit, could it have been made any clearer? Yet, in spite of knowing these truths, I continue to brush away working dilligently to clean my heart myself all the while hating the taste of "soap". Ah, Dear Lord, I confess that I have tried to clean my heart on my own rather than following the instructions in Your Word. I have attempted to cleanse myself instead of receiving forgiveness through Christ. Thank you for the forgiveness Jesus bought for me. May I learn to walk in the Spirit and abandon the ways of myself. Thank You for teaching me in ways that I can understand. In Jesus' precious, precious name, Amen.
Isn't God good to teach me even as I'm brushing my teeth? Just think, He has taken a toddlers funny doings and used them to instruct me in righteousness. Amazing! He is so good! Until later, remember...If there's soap on the brush, put it down and quit brushing! I'll be back later this week. Right now, I'm going to go find something to take this soap taste out of my mouth;) In Christ's Love, Blessed Mama
Ahhhhhhhh, it's morning
Time to rise and time to shine
Get up, get dressed, such a sleepyhead
To the bathroom I now head
My teeth need brushed, my hair needs combed
Morning tasks wait to be done
I'd like to sleep, go back to bed
But not today Miss sleepyhead
What's going on? Something's amiss
My toothbrush isn't in the dish
It's run off on little legs that left it lay behind
Now I must search and search until the lost I find
Alas, the lost it has been found
The morning plan can be unwound
As I commence to brushing round
A flavor creeps in without a sound
What's this? Toothpaste it surely isn't
It's soap! Oh no! It's most unpleasant
It could be worse, How? I won't say
I'm just thankful that soap is the taste of the day
ANYWAY...my ramblings are going somewhere, really. As I was brushing---quickly---I couldn't help but think about how often the same thing happens in my relationship with Jesus Christ. How many times have I attempted to "clean up my act" with the wrong cleaner? Day after day I attempt to straighten up and behave correctly relying on my own strength instead of confessing my sins (1 John 1:9) and receiving forgiveness through Christ. Just as bar soap is not designed to clean our teeth, my human efforts are not designed to clean my heart. In fact, these sincere, yet faulty attempts on my own behalf could very well poison my heart further in the same way ingesting too much soap will poison my body. Also, how often, even though I am aware that my actions aren't accomplishing what I want them to, do I continue to try scrubbing my heart clean on my own? Why don't I just quit brushing? Why don't I quit before the "soap" of my own efforts has been spread throughout my entire heart?
As much as I desire to be clean and righteous before my Lord, if I don't follow the instructions in His Word, my actions can be in direct opposition to those desires. God couldn't have made the cleansing of my heart any simpler. "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness." 1 John 1:9. (Notice I said "simpler" not "easier".) All I need to do is confess those sins. "He who walks in the Spirit will not fulfill the lust of the flesh." Galatians 5:16 Confess my sins and walk in the Spirit, could it have been made any clearer? Yet, in spite of knowing these truths, I continue to brush away working dilligently to clean my heart myself all the while hating the taste of "soap". Ah, Dear Lord, I confess that I have tried to clean my heart on my own rather than following the instructions in Your Word. I have attempted to cleanse myself instead of receiving forgiveness through Christ. Thank you for the forgiveness Jesus bought for me. May I learn to walk in the Spirit and abandon the ways of myself. Thank You for teaching me in ways that I can understand. In Jesus' precious, precious name, Amen.
Isn't God good to teach me even as I'm brushing my teeth? Just think, He has taken a toddlers funny doings and used them to instruct me in righteousness. Amazing! He is so good! Until later, remember...If there's soap on the brush, put it down and quit brushing! I'll be back later this week. Right now, I'm going to go find something to take this soap taste out of my mouth;) In Christ's Love, Blessed Mama
Ahhhhhhhh, it's morning
Time to rise and time to shine
Get up, get dressed, such a sleepyhead
To the bathroom I now head
My teeth need brushed, my hair needs combed
Morning tasks wait to be done
I'd like to sleep, go back to bed
But not today Miss sleepyhead
What's going on? Something's amiss
My toothbrush isn't in the dish
It's run off on little legs that left it lay behind
Now I must search and search until the lost I find
Alas, the lost it has been found
The morning plan can be unwound
As I commence to brushing round
A flavor creeps in without a sound
What's this? Toothpaste it surely isn't
It's soap! Oh no! It's most unpleasant
It could be worse, How? I won't say
I'm just thankful that soap is the taste of the day