Dirty laundry

Our new laundry: tucked
into our clothes closet

Those clean clothes in the closet? Once we put them on, they start getting dirty. Funny how that happens.

Think about the world. It gets washed regularly. God's wash and rinse cycles include sandstorms, rain, and wind. When there's a drought, the leaves get dusty and grey. Then God washes the dirt away with a storm.

Don't you marvel at how good God is at cleaning things? The environment, left to itself (excepting deadly toxins like nuclear waste), "renews itself." Leave a house alone and it becomes overgrown, collapses, and turns to compost to feed nature's next cycle. Let a lake or river move the garbage away and it becomes clean and clear. A forest fire torches scraggly brush, overgrown paths, and rubbish: a few years later, the woods have begun to come back, fresh and new.

That's the way it is with people, too. We bring our dirty laundry to God and he washes us "whiter than snow." We can't clean up more than the outside ourselves. Even when we look good to other people, our hidden inside needs a "deep clean" that only God can do.

An old-fashioned washboard

If you're feeling unworthy, unclean, or unloveable, approach God with a humble, willing heart. Let him clean you up - he paid a high price for your restoration = the life and death of his own Son.

If you've previously asked Jesus to cleanse you, check whether the influences of your surroundings have stained you. The wonderful thing about accepting God's forgiveness and provision is that we can start clean - over and over each day.

Read more:
*Be gracious to me, O Lord, for I am in distress. Psalm 31:9 ESV

*Do not be afraid, but speak and do not be silent. Acts 18:9 ESV

*Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world—the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride of life—is not from the Father but is from the world. 1 John 2:15-16 NEV

*Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. Resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same kinds of suffering are being experienced by your brotherhood throughout the world. 1 Peter 5:8-9 ESV

*The Christian who is pure and without fault, from God the Father’s point of view, is the one who takes care of orphans and widows, and who remains true to the Lord—not soiled and dirtied by his contacts with the world. James 1:27 TLB

Moravian Prayer: O heavenly Protector, while our days may be filled with trials and concerns, we know you are with us. With your knowledge and gifts, help us to spread the word of your everlasting love and grace. Amen.