Washed Clean

“…let us draw near to God with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water.”
Hebrews 10:22

I am never sure what will bring about the inspiration for these devotions, on this occasion it was a memory from my younger years. My mom comes from a ranching family and once a year there are round ups, to bring the cattle in. Lots of things are done to the cattle at that time but let’s just say it can be a dirty job. At the end of the day, it feels so good to take a bath and wash all that stuff off. 

The selfish behavior that causes us to willfully disobey a Holy God, that causes us to be separated from a God who only wants the best for us, created us for the best, makes us dirty too. In the days of the Old Testament, the Israelite priests would offer sacrifices to wash away the sins of the people. The problem was their sacrifices were not sufficient and had to be repeated. It was a get dirty, wash, repeat kind of cycle that didn’t really draw the people back to God the way He wanted.

But God had a bigger plan in the works all along; the Father would send the Son. The Son would have an up-close and personal encounter with mankind, feeling everything we feel, experiencing everything we experience except one thing - that selfish behavior that takes us away from a Holy God. Jesus Christ is that Son, fully man and fully God he was able to live a sinless life. Jesus died on a Roman cross and left His tomb empty three days later, so that whoever believed would have their sins - the dirt of their self-focused lives - washed away. 

Because of His death and resurrection, we who believe and have been washed can draw near again to the Holy God who made us in His image. Enjoy His presence as he pours out his mercy, grace and love on you.

A Prayer
Father, thank you that from the moment of that first act of disobedience in the garden you had a plan to draw us back into your holy presence. Thank you that Jesus willfully carried out that plan and that His death as agonizing as it was makes us clean again. May we draw near everyday to know you more and love you better. In the name of Jesus, Amen.