Let's be honest with each other shall we? How many of us spend more time physically getting ready for our day than we do spiritually? You know the routine. We get up, jump into a warm shower and scrub ourselves clean, including our hair of course. Maybe (this is a big maybe for me) shave our legs. Step out of the shower and start the drying process. First our bodies and then our hair. Ah, a clean canvas to work with. Then we proceed to the building process. You know...deodorant so we don't stink throughout the day, maybe a little lotion to rehydrate our dry skin. We pick out clothes to dress ourselves in, plug in the flat iron to make sure our hair lays straight, and pull out the trusty old makeup bag. We pull, stretch, straighten, curl, fill in, highlight, cover up and color most everything that is visible to the world. We walk out our doors feeling good about what can be seen, but what about those things that maybe are not quite as visible?
What if we took as much time to walk through the same process spiritually? What if we took the Word of God and let it pour over us to wash away yesterdays filth? I love the passage out of John where Peter tells the Lord to wash all of him. Christ then bends down and washes the dirtiest part of the disciples.
"So he got up from the supper table, set aside his robe, and put on an apron. Then he poured water into a basin and began to wash the feet of the disciples, drying them with his apron. When he got to Simon Peter, Peter said, "Master, you wash my feet?" Jesus answered, "You don't understand now what I'm doing, but it will be clear enough to you later." Peter persisted, "You're not going to wash my feet - ever!" Jesus said, "If I don't wash you, you can't be part of what I'm doing." "Master!" said Peter. "Not only my feet, then. Wash my hands! Wash my head!" Jesus said, "If you've had a bath in the morning, you only need your feet washed now and you're clean from head to toe. My concern, you understand, is holiness, not hygiene. So now you're clean. But not every one of you."
John 13:4-10 (Msg)
Proverbs 30:12 (Msg) says...
"Don't imagine yourself to be quite presentable when you haven't had a bath in a week."
What if we started everyday taking a heavenly bath from head to toe to wipe the slate clean?
Realizing that there are some things that need to be 'ironed out' while other places need a little 'filler' each day using the Word of God. In doing this, we submit to allow the Word of God to create in us a more presentable person because we have Christ all over us.
I love this passage out of 2 Peter 1:3-7 that says...
"His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature and escape the corruption in the world caused by evil desires. For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness, love.
Can you imagine waking up every morning and intentionally applying the things spoken of in 2 Peter? Applying daily faith, goodness, knowledge, and self-control. How could the world miss us? We'd look stunning!
Then finally getting dressed in the armor of God...Ephesians 6:13-16
"Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one."
These three simple steps...cleaning up, applying what is essential, and clothing ourselves is something we do for our physical body every day. Let's agree to do the same spiritually, understanding it is the very thing that God wants the most for us. If we will come into agreement with Him we might just be amazed at how good looking we become. Spiritually speaking of course. *Wink*
Blessed to be His!
Kim
2 comments:
Col 3:9-10
Don’t lie to one another. You’re done with that old life. It’s like a filthy set of ill-fitting clothes you’ve stripped off and put in the fire. Now you’re dressed in a new wardrobe. Every item of your new way of life is custom-made by the Creator, with his label on it. All the old fashions are now obsolete.
Eph4:22-24
You took off your former way of life, the old self that is corrupted by deceitful desires;you are being renewed in the spirit of your minds;you put on the new self, the one created according to God's [likeness] in righteousness and purity of the truth.
Love It!!!! Yay for new clothes!
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