A Good Washing

I will find out tomorrow how bad my mistake was today. I was in town and noticed how bad the dirt was building up on the back of my car. The back seems to get dirty faster than any other car I have owned. I decided to go into a car wash. That isn’t a terrible idea, except that the temperature was about 13 degrees Fahrenheit (about 10 C). When I stopped shortly after the wash, I went around the car and opened every door so that they would not freeze shut on me. When I got home, I went to open my window to get the mail, and I heard the window motor strain before finally breaking loose from the ice. The car was cleaned, but not without some difficulties. Hopefully I can get into the car tomorrow morning. The other thing is, no matter how clean it was when I left the car wash, it will be dirty as soon as I drive. There is another One in the cleaning business. His name is Jesus. He doesn’t just clean the dirt off the outside. He doesn’t just remove the stains that have contaminated the whole body. He makes us into a new creation. He is not just fixing, but restoring to its original design. Will it get dirty again? On the outside by the things we say and do. Paul talks about this in Romans where he says the things he doesn’t want to do are the very things that he does and the things he wants to do are the things that he fails to do. He starts off saying the law is spiritual and when it points out my sin, then the law good. Then he ends that section with Romans 7:20, “Now if I do what I do not want to do, it is no longer I who do it, but it is sin living in me that does it.” If I am walking by faith, the law loses its power to condemn me. That is how Paul can say it is not me that is sinning, but the sin in me. I still need to seek God for forgiveness, but by faith, I am covered in the righteousness of God. Now if I were to willfully and deliberately sin, that is a different idea, but still forgivable. In the summertime, I might choose to wash the car myself. This is not an option when it comes to sin. Only God can cleanse me from all unrighteousness. If I am able, I should seek to make restitution for my sin as a sign of my remorse. Again, it is only in Christ that we can be fully cleansed. My job is to stay out of the mud in the first place. Thank You Jesus for all that You have done for me, but especially, for nailing my sin to the cross and restoring me. Amen