20 He who testifies to these things says, “Surely I am coming quickly.”
Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
21 The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen.
Leaning over the tub with scrub pad in hand, exerting some serious effort, I had a spiritual thought. Yes, I am serious! The scum was not budging and it was then that it occurred to me that I needed some type of cleaning solution and I was right.
So I sprayed on the solution and off came the scum.
I think sin is a bit like soap scum. It sticks tight, is stubborn, and refuses to let go. We can work and work, scrub and scrub but until the proper solution is applied, the scum is still there.
For the good that I would I do not: but the evil which I would not, that I do. Romans 7:19 KJV.
In her book, When Godly People do Ungodly Things, Beth Moore said something I think is akin to this soap scum removal. She asked the question: ‘Does attending Bible studies and going to church sanctify us? Yes or no?’
You see reading the Bible and going to church is good. But reading the Bible and going to church alone will not remove our soap scum. You know how I know? Because we can be listening to the Bible on our CD players as we drive home from church and still ‘cuss’ out that ‘numskull’ who just cut us off in traffic. Why is that? And what are we going to do about it? If we want victory, if we want to be free of our ‘soap scum’, we must consistently (as Beth says in her book) be: ‘Allowing the Holy Spirit to get the Word through and through us instead of just to us…’. The solution to getting rid of our ‘soap scum’ is the WATER of the Word applied, soaked in, and spread out all through us. Beth went on to say: ‘… If we are not deliberately asking God to get into every part of our ‘business’, we’re probably not practicing the approach that will protect us.’
In other words, while we are driving down that familiar highway in rush hour traffic, unless we seriously ponder and give over our whole being to I Thessalonians 5:18 (or some other familiar passage) In everything give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you. – we probably are not going to bless that ‘numskull’ driver and we just might add some more ‘soap scum’ to our tub.
Jesus prayed this for us: 15 I do not ask that You will take them out of the world, but that You will keep and protect them from the evil one. 16 They are not of the world (worldly, belonging to the world), [just] as I am not of the world. 17 Sanctify them [purify, consecrate, separate them for Yourself, make them holy] by the Truth; Your Word is Truth. 18 Just as You sent Me into the world, I also have sent them into the world. John 17:15-18 Amplified Bible.
At this writing, I have a ‘fairly’ clean tub and shower, thanks to a scrub pad and some cleaning solution. And in PRACTICE, spiritually speaking, my ‘soap scum’ is much less than it used to be but not nearly enough WATER (THE WORD of GOD) has been applied, soaked in, and spread around. It’s tub and shower time, ladies (and gents)!
Father, I thank You for this, I like it but I love the fact that YOUR WORD abiding in me is the POWER to clean soap scum day by day. Thank You. And Lord with these our readers as witnesses, I say to You, Lord, yes get up all in ‘my business… Please! And I pray for the one reading these words right now, that she (he) too will invite You to get up all in ‘their business’ too. And today, Father God, we pray for others, that lists of others on our hearts; we don’t know all their needs but we know some of them: illness and disease, rebellious children and grandchildren, aged parents, lonely souls, hard decisions, debts to be paid, choices to be made, weddings and showers and happy times to be planned and enjoyed, adventures to dream and see come to pass, needed jobs, purposes to know and do, wounded emotions in need of healing, blinded eyes to be opened and hearts to be made flesh instead of stone, forgiveness to be given and forgiveness to be received, and more – much more Lord. And only You can give us all these things and so we ask You now in confidence that You will provide for these.
As I post this it is 68°F and overcast in Baghdad, IQ & the time there is 4:04 PM AST – on October 29, 2008
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