Wash up!
“Hey, guys, it’s
time for dinner. Wash up!” With that
call, dinner is served. Before pulling up to the table, the grime of the day
needs to be washed away. Who wants dirty
hands serving and handling the dishes?
The Psalm carries a similar theme.
"The earth is the Lord’s, and
everything in it. The world and all its people belong to him. For he laid the
earth’s foundation on the seas and built it on the ocean depths. Who may climb
the mountain of the Lord? Who may stand in his holy place? Only those whose
hands and hearts are pure, who do not worship idols and never tell lies."
(Psalm 24:1-4, NLT)
God invites us to
live in His Presence, to enjoy a place of security only found in Him. But, He
says, “Wash up!” Make no mistake. The
call is not to self-righteousness or even to superficial goodness. The
privilege of walking in the Spirit, which provides us with all that we need for
the ‘abundant life’ of which Jesus spoke, is for those who are ready to leave
their sin. Let’s underscore what we
ought to know already: only Christ can
make us clean from the inside out!
However, as John teaches, we must cooperate with the Spirit, forsaking
our Self, to find the promised peace. "So we are lying if we say we have
fellowship with God but go on living in spiritual darkness. We are not living
in the truth. But if we are living in the light of God’s presence, just as
Christ is, then we have fellowship with each other, and the blood of Jesus, his
Son, cleanses us from every sin." (1 John 1:6-7, NLT) The person who turns his heart and mind to the
pursuit of holiness "will receive
blessing from the LORD and vindication from God his Savior. Such is the
generation of those who seek him, who seek your face, O God of Jacob. Selah
Lift up your heads, O you gates; be lifted up, you ancient doors, that the King
of glory may come in." (Psalm 24:5-7, NIV)
Brother Lawrence, a
17th century French monk, entered the monastery, without the
education required for ordination. He spent his life working in the kitchen and
fixing sandals. But, in time, he became the spiritual hub of that place, a man
recognized as being full of the Spirit of God.
He left us a little book that is a classic: The Practice of the Presence of God. In it, he describes his delight in knowing
God, not just in formal worship, but everywhere, all the time. He writes, “A
little lifting up of the heart suffices; a little remembrance of God, an
interior act of adoration, even though
made on the march and with sword in hand, are prayers which, short though they may
be, are nevertheless very pleasing to God, and far from making a soldier
lose his courage on the most dangerous occasions, bolster it. Let him then
think of God as much as possible so that he will gradually become accustomed to
this little but holy exercise; no one will notice it and nothing is easier than
to repeat often during the day these little acts of interior adoration.” Repeatedly, Lawrence reminds his readers
that the heart must be turned to the Lord.
There will be resistance and distractions. In the adoration, sin loses its hold and the
beauty of God’s Presence takes residence!
Is living in the
Presence of God your desire, Christian? “That
we should establish ourselves in a sense of GOD’s Presence, by continually
conversing with Him. That it was a shameful thing to quit His conversation, to
think of trifles and fooleries.” – Brother Lawrence Let’s not approach Him covered in the grime
of sinfulness. Instead, let’s ready ourselves for the entry of the King by
keeping ourselves aware that He is near, that His love is without end, that He
has prepared a banquet for us even as we walk among our enemies!
_________________
Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus
O soul are you weary and troubled,
No light in the darkness you see?
There's light for a look at the Savior,
And life more abundant and free.
Turn your eyes upon Jesus!
Look full in His wonderful face!
And the things of earth
Will grow strangely dim
In the light of His glory and grace.
Helen H. Lemmel
Public Domain
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