Father, it has been a hard day. Strengthen us for the days ahead. May we rest when we can and give us clarity of mind for the many decisions to be made. Amen.
Matthew 3:1-6 (<<click here to read the passage)
John the Baptist, a man whose personality seemed as coarse as his attire, was the forerunner of Christ. He got the ball rolling by calling people to “repent from [their] sins and turn to God…” and then gave them the opportunity to publically proclaim their repentance by being baptized in the Jordan River.
No one swayed him. Everyone was called to repentance, from the lowest of the low to the highest of the high—religious and public leaders included. Much as his attire would have been, he was abrasive.
If I were trying to clean a well-used shower, I wouldn’t go about cleaning it with a handful of tissues. They would not be able to handle the job; they would just fall apart. I would use a stiff scrub brush or a sturdy wash rag of some sort.
John the Baptist was out to bring people to repentance. He wasn’t a warm and fuzzy kind of guy. Sin is not something that can be handled with a “tissue.” Only God, the most powerful being in the entirety of all that is, can eradicate its stain. And John was His frontman. John set the stage for who was coming. And he wasn’t out to tickle anyone’s fancy – he was prepping for a deep, to-the-core cleaning that only Jesus could bring about.
Lord, I am grateful for Your sacrifice so that I could be made clean from the stains I placed upon myself. I could in no way apply that deep to-the-core cleaning to myself. Only by repenting of my sins and turning to You did that take place.
Yes, I am grateful that even today, when I get myself into things that require Your cleansing touch, You do not hesitate to offer to scrub me clean. Help me to submit to You. May I not put it off. Make me clean even now. Fill me. Use me. Amen.
(Sept 24th, 2017, Sun, 6:29 am)
May 2nd, 2024, Thurs, 12:45 pm
