clean

"Create in me a clean heart, O God. Renew a right spirit within me." (Psalm 51:10)

I remember when my children were much younger, and after a full day of rough and tumble sports and play activities, they would arrive home shortly before supper, filthy! Their little bodies looked like they were rolling in dirt, their clothes stained with grass marks, and the smell of sweat from the hot summer sun was clearly evident.

"In to the bathtub you go!" I would say. "And don't forget to scrub!" Thirty minutes later, the two of them would walk down the stairs sparking in their cute pajamas, wet combed hair, clean and sweet-smelling bodies! "My! How nice you you look!" I would say. "Are these the same dirty children I saw a few minutes ago?"

God can do something similar, but in more miraculous proportions in our life. When we invite Him in to our life, we make a choice to reject evil, repent of past sins, and to cleave to a better way: His way. Our slate is washed clean, and we are presented with a new heart and spirit. 

The pristine light and love of the Lord makes us a new creation! And, just as we may need to bathe our physical bodies daily to ensure we remain clean and sweet smelling, so too should we bathe our mind with the truth of His word, the Bible, so that we will not fall back in to a path of impurity.