Cleaned By the Blood Alone
"Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You are like white-washed tombs, which look beautiful on the outside but on the inside are full of dead man's bones and everything unclean. In the same way, on the outside you appear to be righteous but on the inside you are full of hypocrisy and wickedness" - Matt. 23:27-28
In our house, bath time is usually a fairly quick activity amidst our busy schedule. However, this past week when I was giving River a bath one day, I had more time than usual to spare. So, I let him play in the sink with his bath toys for much longer than usual. While doing so, God met me in that space.
The thing is, when we get caught up in the busyness of our tasks & rushing through them, we don’t leave room to convene with God during them. Through all things, God can teach and remind us of Himself. Even through the most mundane of things! How does this happen you ask? When we switch our perspective from “being productive” to “how can I worship God through this?”
As I lathered River up in soap and washed it off, God met me. He reminded me of the cleansing blood of Christ. Just as River is unable to bathe himself and be clean, so am I. I can try my best to clean up my act, to check my to-do lists, and to do all the “right things” - but I’ll never be clean on my own. At best, I can clean up my outer appearance. But that's not what God wants! He desires us to have pure hearts that love Him and others. I must not forget Jesus' words to the Pharisees, "Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You are like white-washed tombs, which look beautiful on the outside but on the inside are full of dead man's bones and everything unclean. In the same way, on the outside you appear to be righteous but on the inside you are full of hypocrisy and wickedness" (Matt. 23:27-28).
I need to be washed by the cleansing blood of Christ, I cannot be clean on my own, just like River cannot! It's as simple as coming to God, admitting you're a sinner, asking for forgiveness and believing Christ died for your sins and rose from the dead. It's not about "doing all the right things," it's about putting your faith in the only one who could, Jesus. Come, and be clean!