The Shower

You know that feeling you have after a really good shower - one after you've been especially sweaty and gross? You're so clean, your skin is exfoliated and pure, your hair is silky smooth, and you just feel good. Not a lot of feelings in this world quite compare to the refreshing feel after a good shower. But there's also the possibility of a bad shower. I found this out in Italy where our hotels quite obviously installed showers as an afterthought. Hardly big enough to get inside and shut the door, you couldn't move once you were in there. The water had little pressure and it took a good ten minutes to get the soap out of your hair. When you finally were able to fully rinse off, It wasn't even really worth it because you still felt unclean getting out - definitely not the refreshing shower we all would want after walking around the sites of Ancient Rome for ten hours!

How often do we go to a shower that promises to make us clean and wash away all the dirt from the day, only to come away feeling burdened, unrefreshed, and frustrated? We go out with friends after work for an evening of fun and relaxation, only to feel exhausted the next morning. We spend hours on the internet trying to distract from the things that bear us down, only to be burdened by new things we find there. There are a number of other places that we go to purge and cleanse the thoughts and memories of our days and make us feel light and clean; and yet all of them leave us feeling still just a bit unclean and unfulfilled.

But there is a shower that promises that we will be completely clean, refreshed, and unburdened. It can heal beyond the depth of our skin and cleanse our heart and soul with a power unlike anything else. Just as a shower with good water pressure has a massaging feel on our skin yet is not hard enough to be painful, so Jesus Christ's blood has the power behind it to massage the impurities from our hearts and leave us feeling clean and new.

Just as we go unclothed into a shower, we go before the Lord with a bare heart. A good, refreshing shower does not leave one small area untouched that we aren't ready to have cleaned yet. Rather, it washes all impurities away, leaving us clean and new. God does the same in creating a clean heart in us. He simply asks that we do not keep any part of us from His healing rain. It's not always a pleasant experience to allow God to cleanse our hearts. Think of those times when you've had paint or mud stuck to your skin that took a little extra scrubbing. Sometimes our hearts take a little extra scrubbing too, and for a little while it may be a bit raw and tender; but God promises us to heal our broken hearts and cleanse us from all unrighteousness, so that raw tenderness with eventually become pure and whole.

God is urging us to come and stand in His shower while He washes away our impurities and burdens. He has provided us with a cleansing flood that will leave us refreshed and pure before Him so we can live our lives freely under His blessings. Will you step into His shower? I challenge you to come to Him completely open, baring all, so that He can bring about healing and cleansing to your soul. This is not simply something to do of your own bidding, or of my encouragement. Bring the matters of your heart to the Lord in prayer, because once you ask Him to cleanse you fully, you can't go back. It can be scary letting God see every part of you, but when you have faith and trust in His love for you, you will see that all He wants for you is good.

Psalm 51, a Psalm of David

Have mercy on me, O God,
    because of your unfailing love.
Because of your great compassion,
    blot out the stain of my sins.
 Wash me clean from my guilt.
    Purify me from my sin.
For I recognize my rebellion;
    it haunts me day and night.
 Against you, and you alone, have I sinned;
    I have done what is evil in your sight.
You will be proved right in what you say,
    and your judgment against me is just.^[a]
 For I was born a sinner—
    yes, from the moment my mother conceived me.
 But you desire honesty from the womb,^[b]
    teaching me wisdom even there.

 Purify me from my sins,^[c] and I will be clean;
    wash me, and I will be whiter than snow.
 Oh, give me back my joy again;
    you have broken me—
    now let me rejoice.
 Don’t keep looking at my sins.
    Remove the stain of my guilt.
 Create in me a clean heart, O God.
    Renew a loyal spirit within me.
 Do not banish me from your presence,
    and don’t take your Holy Spirit^[d] from me.

 Restore to me the joy of your salvation,
    and make me willing to obey you.
Then I will teach your ways to rebels,
    and they will return to you. Forgive me for shedding blood, O God who saves;
    then I will joyfully sing of your forgiveness.
 Unseal my lips, O Lord,
    that my mouth may praise you.

 You do not desire a sacrifice, or I would offer one.
    You do not want a burnt offering.
 The sacrifice you desire is a broken spirit.
    You will not reject a broken and repentant heart, O God.
 

How Do We Walk in the Light?

I sat down to read 1 John 1 - 2 (NIV) last night for the second time and I was struck by a question as I was getting to verses 5-7. This is something that I've read and heard many times, being raised in a Christian home; but as I looked at it, I realized that I wasn't totally sure about what it means to actually "walk in the light" in everyday life. I did a closer study on these two chapters, and this is what I came up with:

Ch 1:
                  darkness = sin (v 6)                                        light = God (v 5)
       *So to walk in the light means to walk in God - it doesn't mean we deny our sins (v 8) but instead acknowledge them, confess them to God, and ask Him for forgiveness (v 9). When we do this we are promised forgiveness and cleansing.
                  forgiveness: to grant pardon for or remission of; absolve; to cancel any debt
                  cleanse: to remove guilt from
       *Doesn't take away the consequences of sin, but brings complete restoration and takes away the residue of sin: the guilt, shame, fear, etc.

I often find I hide my sin out of fear of the pain involved in changing the way I live.      

Analogy Time:    
      *The forgiveness isn't the painful part - the cleansing can be. When we humble ourselves to God, take His hand, and let Him pull us out of our heap of shame, the act of being pulled up doesn't hurt us(forgiveness) because we are letting God do all the work. What hurts is when the shame tries to keep it's grip on us (our struggle or the flesh not wanting to let go or give in to the Spirit) as we are being pulled away. It can rip pieces of us away with it and cause open sores; but when we are pulled all the way out, God wraps His arms around us and His embrace covers us with a healing love that repairs the places where hurt ans hame have had their way with us.

If we deny sin we deny grace and ultimately reject Him altogether. (v 10)

Ch 2:

                  Jesus Christ = Advocate (v 1) and Propitiation (v 2)

       I've met and discussed with many people who have a hard time with the word 'propitiation' and I really don't blame them. Until now, I really didn't have a decent way of explaining what it means for Jesus to be the propitiation for our sins without mudding the waters even more. Take a look at this:

                  propitiate: to bring to a state of peace, quiet, ease, calm, or contentment; to reconcile -->

                  reconcile: to bring into harmony

How do we know that we know Him?

•  If we keep His commandments, God's love is perfected in us - brought to maturity (v 3)
• Walk just as He walked - in love (v 6)

       *The word from the beginning (referenced over and over in John's 3 epistles) is to love one another (1 John 3:11, Deuteronomy 10:12) (v 7)
       *The same commandment of love is also new as it is continually reapplied in our lives (John 15:9-13) (v 8)

                  Hatred = Darkness (v 9, 11)                                     Love = Light = God (v 10)
       *So, to walk in the light literally means to walk in love, and since God IS love, walking in the light is the same as walking in God

The mark or evidence of a true Christian is love.

How do we overcome darkness?

• Don't love the world or the things of the world (v 15)

       This doesn't mean we don't love the people in the world - we can love them while hating their sin

• Love one another - you'll abide in Him and will be given eternal life (v 24)

       True believers love one another and even love their enemies

                  Enemy: anyone who does not agree with the entire message of grace and redemption in

                  Christ Jesus

Evidence of Faith:

• Walk in obedience and love
• Deny our own interests on behalf of others
• Love one another with the love of Christ
• Pray for those who are living in sin

Now it's you're turn! Leave comments of practical ways that you have found to walk in the light, or walk in love, in your everyday life.