Cleaning Yourself

I wrote about asking for a clean or innocent heart. This morning I read and am writing about cleaning yourself up.

“¹⁶Wash yourselves; make yourselves clean;

remove the evil of your deeds from before my eyes;

cease to do evil,

¹⁷learn to do good;

seek justice,

correct oppression;

bring justice to the fatherless,

plead the widow’s cause.”

— Isaiah 1:16-17 (ESV)

The LORD is speaking through Isaiah here to the Judah. He has told them of their wickedness and now is guiding them through it. Notice verse 16 and how it leads off, “Wash yourselves; make yourselves clean”. We have the task of cleaning ourselves up.

Now, the word “clean” is again used and as I have mentioned before, the Hebrew word for “clean” can also mean “innocent” and when used brings out more meaning for me. I think of it in this way. I have the task of cleaning up my known sins and dirtiness. I can make myself innocent before man by following the law. I also make the decision not to consciously sin. I will still sin as I am a sinner forever, but I can choose not to sin consciously. And even when I do, part of the washing up is confessing those sins to the LORD to be forgiven and washed clean.

I have to be careful in that I am not saying we are able to wash away our uncleanness and save ourselves in the process. We are only saved by the grace of God and thanks to the birth, death, and resurrection of our Savior, Jesus Christ. There is no substitute for that salvation and being washed white as snow.

What I am referring to is washing away that which I know to be sin and cleaning myself up for presentation to the LORD. We are not going to get all of the dirt off or out, but we can wash up cleaner than we were a moment ago.

How, through our daily, continual prayer and confession. We are to ask for forgiveness daily. We are to ask for forgiveness continually. We are to seek to be cleaned all the time. I can say that I sit in my office early in the morning daily and offer up prayer to the LORD. I proclaim His Glory, thank Him for all, seek His guidance, and ask for forgiveness. This is my daily action to clean myself up.

Even as I take daily action, I admit that I am not in continual prayer and confession. I wait. I wait until the next day and offer up my prayer. But just as in most everything else, by waiting I miss things. I forget my sins. I omit my sins, somehow thinking that they are gone and I can wrap them into a “forgive my sins LORD” declaration. But that doesn’t cut it. It is like showering and only allowing the water and soap to run down without scrubbing to remove the caked on dirt.

I have to remember to be in continual prayer to confess and ask for forgiveness right away. I have to wash up and make myself clean to remove the sin immediately. I have to make and keep myself clean for the LORD. No, I cannot save myself pure, but I can remove the caked on sin and dirt and get closer to righteousness, cleanliness, and innocence than I have ever been.

What is your view of cleaning yourself up? Are you relying on someone to do it for you? What if you took responsibility, not for your salvation, but to clean yourself up to be as presentable to the LORD as possible at all times?

Repent and the LORD Remembers

The LORD will act accordingly when we spurn Him. When I walk contrary to Him, He will walk contrary to me. After all, that is me not wanting or seeing the value in Him, so why should He want or see the value in me. But, what happens when I repent and come back to Him?

“⁴⁰But if they confess their iniquity and the iniquity of their fathers in their treachery that they committed against me, and also in walking contrary to me, ⁴¹so that I walked contrary to them and brought them into the land of their enemies—if then their uncircumcised heart is humbled and they make amends for their iniquity, ⁴²then I will remember my covenant with Jacob, and I will remember my covenant with Isaac and my covenant with Abraham, and I will remember the land.” – Leviticus 26:40-42 (ESV)

I will spurn the LORD and walk contrary to Him. And He will walk contrary to me in discipline to me. I deserve it all. But, He is waiting on my to turn back to Him. He is waiting for me to humble myself in the heart and “make amends” to where I hurt Him. When I do, He remembers the covenant He has in place with those who came before me.

This passage is of course well before the coming of Christ and His death, burial, and resurrection for my sins. It does though demonstrate that the LORD is waiting on me to come back to Him. He, even in my contrary walk with Him, is still with me. He is there to ensure that the discipline I face is for the turning away from Him, but He is still there waiting.

“¹³For ‘everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.’” – Romans 10:13 (ESV)

When I call on His name, He remembers and turns back to me to protect, comfort, and love me.

What is your view of turning back to God? Are you aware that He is just waiting for you? What if you were to repent and turn back to Him, call on Him and bask in His remembrance of the love He has for you?

Lost Even When in the Right Place

Reading God’s Word is so revealing. I am in Isaiah this morning as I begin a study on the word “lost”.

“⁵And I said: “Woe is me! For I am lost; for I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts!” – Isaiah 6:5 (ESV)

Here, Isaiah is describing his vision of the Lord. He is in the temple looking up at the Lord on the throne. And yet, his words indicate that he is lost.

I know that I have felt similar in certain situations. I knew exactly where I was, yet was not confident in whether or not I was or belonged there in the first place. It was not until I reached out to confess my confusion and lack of confidence that I was assured to be. Isaiah asked. Okay, it was more of a statement aloud. He made it known that he was not sure that he was supposed to be there or even belonged.

“⁶Then one of the seraphim flew to me, having in his hand a burning coal that he had taken with tongs from the altar. ⁷And he touched my mouth and said: ‘Behold, this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away, and your sin atoned for.’” – Isaiah 6:6-7 (ESV)

Isaiah spoke out to confess. This confession was was heard and action was taken to let him know that he did indeed belong.

As noted, I have experienced this sense of being lost myself and it was not until I confessed was it confirmed that I was. I am positive that it happens on the regular in our houses of worship. There are those who come to visit, looking for something and end up leaving without confirmation that they have found it. Either it comes from us as the congregation not embracing those who are visiting or from the pulpit with the seemingly vilification of us all as sinners. More can and should be done to help others as they are likely feeling lost.

It is not a good feeling to be lost, especially when I am in the right place. I may not know exactly why I am there, but there is a reason and frankly I am looking for it. I may not have the confidence to confess, and therefor it is up to someone to draw me in with an assuring word or action, just as the seraphim from the vision of Isaiah taking action to acknowledge and assure him of his rightful place there.

What are your feelings when you are out in the world? Are lost where you are or know of those who might be? What if you called out in confession of your being lost or were the one to take action of assurance to those who might be?

Confess to the Father

This morning I am wrapping up my concordance study of the word “father”. Over the course of that past couple of months I have learned much in the way of my Father in heaven and father in this world. Today is a reminder for me as to who to rely on with all.

“⁵The one who conquers will be clothed thus in white garments, and I will never blot his name out of the book of life. I will confess his name before my Father and before his angels.” – Revelation 3:5 (ESV)

I have to rely on my Father. As we see the words of Jesus above, He confesses before God the Father. As He is our example, we should do the same. I have to remember that my confessions are for my Father as well.

As a small child the father is the one in the home who is the immediate protector. He is the patriarch and the one we hide behind when things are not as they should be. He is the one who holds us when we need comforting. He is the one who cheers for us when we are out there doing what we do. And he is the one who listens when we have something to say and/or confess. And then we grow up. Our father in this world is not always there with us and we turn to our Father in heaven to take over.

It is my Father in heaven that is our immediate protector. He is the patriarch and the one we hide behind when things are not as they should be. He is the one who holds us when we need comforting. He is the one who cheers for us when we are out there doing what we do. And he is the one who listens when we have something to say and/or confess.

I have my Father to care for me. In order for that, I have to be here in confession with Him. I have to give it all to Him and know that He will take care of it all. I may not know or like the way He cares for it, but I have to know that He is and is doing so for me in line with His will for me and the spreading of the gospel. It is only up to me to come to Him and confess that which needs confessing and allow Him to love me and put things in motion for His glory.

Who are you confessing to? Are you just holding it all in or looking for someone/someplace to let it out? What if you were to give it all to our Father and allow Him to care for it all?