Connie and I have been getting some major landscaping done in our back yard. I’ve found myself repeatedly becoming so focused on it I kneel down to do some work before changing into my yard-work jeans. When it becomes too dark and I go in the house, I realize I had gotten dirt and stains on another pair of pants!! Now Connie has to wash another pair of pants and I feel guilty!
What is interesting to me is how water and laundry soap move through the fibers of material like my pants and carry out the dirt lodged within those fibers and make them look like new again. Even though we can see and smell the difference, we are not able to see the soap and water working the cleaning process.
When we come to God, our minds and hearts are like my dirty pants, caked with twisted beliefs and bad attitudes, ugly feelings, corrupt habits and deeds, misguided dreams, hopes and fears. We are so far out of alignment our soul groans with the agitation and turmoil from what is going on deep within while waiting for its redemption.
How is it that the sense of sorrow deep within us can somehow be made free, joy filled and clean again? No counselor, brain surgeon or psychiatrist can bring the release and freshness to the mind, emotions, intuitions and conscience that our God can. Titus 3:4-7 (NLT2) 4 But—When God our Savior revealed his kindness and love, 5 he saved us, not because of the righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He washed away our sins, giving us a new birth and new life through the Holy Spirit. 6 He generously poured out the Spirit upon us through Jesus Christ our Savior. 7 Because of his grace he declared us righteous and gave us confidence that we will inherit eternal life. Absolutely incredible!!
Like our clothes, unfortunately, we again soil our mind, emotions and spirit by the unintentional sins we commit. The washing machine God uses to move through the fibers of our mind and spirit to keep us clean and make us more like Jesus, is our soaking or meditation on His Word. Ephesians 5:26-27 (ESV) 26 that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, 27 so that he might present the church to himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish.
We all value our washing machines that make our dirty clothes clean and usable again. Do you realize that God’s Word does to our souls what a washing machine does to our clothes? I suspect all too many of us are like young boys at kid’s camp who don’t take time to take showers or change dirty clothes. We go for days without soaking and being washed by the water of God’s word. God has designed for you and I to take spiritual showers in God’s Word so He can present [us] to Himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, …without blemish. Oh, the absolute delight of the prospect of having no spots or wrinkles!! This adds additional value to the time I spend in God’s word.