Cleanse me, oh God!

As a child, I often liked to play outside. Like many kids, I liked making mud pies and playing with dirt. There's several ways children will play; some get right down on their hands and knees or even sit right in the mud. They're not afraid to get dirty. Some, like me, liked to play with the mud but didn't really want to get filthy. I would crouch down and use sticks and occasionally use my hands. I wanted to have fun but didn't really want to get messy. Then, there are still other children who don't want to play with mud or have anything to do with getting dirty. But you can never truly avoid all puddles, especially when it's raining. In a way, you can compare the mud to sin. Some people wallow in their sin, loving every minute and not caring how dirty they get. Others want to have the fun and pleasure sin can bring but don't want to get too dirty. It's just a little fun. And then there are those who, by God's grace, strive to live a life apart from sin and desire to live Christ-like lives. But here's the thing about mud and sin: none of us are clean or sinless. 

My parents used to have a garden hose outside, and if we got too dirty, we had to hose off before going inside. The child that loves to get filthy doesn't even want to go inside and will avoid getting the hose-down. So, too, with those who reject God completely. They love their sinful lives and are often proud of their sin. Although some may strive to be sinless, "We have all become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous deeds are like a polluted garment." (Isaiah 64:6). 

No matter how hard we try, we are all dirty and in need of cleansing. Where can we find this cleansing? Quite simply put, Jesus is our cleanser! "But if we walk in the light, as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin." (1 John 1:7). Like the writer of Psalm 51, we too must come before God and pray, "Purge me with hysop and I shall be clean; wash me and I shall be whiter than snow." (Psalm 51:7). We can not just sit in the mud. We must bring our dirty selves to God and pray that He will forgive our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. For, "How much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without blemish to God, purify our conscience from dead works to serve the living God." (Hebrews 9:14).

It's not enough to just try to stay a little clean; we need to be perfectly clean to come into God's house. With deep thankfulness, we can be clean in Jesus. Through His sacrifice and with the working of the Holy Spirit, we can confidently come to God as freshly clean children.