Clean Up for Dinner

I remember something like this happening to me. Every little boy (and probably even little girls too) have been called to come and wash up for dinner. Sitting at the table mother calls for an inspection and after she takes a closer look he is sent back to wash again. “This time use soap” or “Now go and actually get close to the water” mother says.

How often will kids say, “But I did wash!” Nevertheless off they go to the sink to scrub once again. More than once some poor little guys are sent back a third time before passing inspection.

It seems that moms are always concerned about the hands being clean. I could just imagine one little guy when sent to try again looking up at his mom and saying, “But look at my face; it’s clean!”

Isn’t that just like all of us? We want to compartmentalize our lives into little boxes, and we justify one box being a little messy because we have this or that one all neat and clean; everything there is in order. Yet just like a loving mother God does not overlook a clean face; it’s just that if the hands, feet or anything else is dirty then YOU are dirty.

• [23] May God himself, the God who makes everything holy and whole, make you holy and whole, put you together—spirit, soul, and body—and keep you fit for the coming of our Master, Jesus Christ. [24] The One who called you is completely dependable. If he said it, he'll do it!
  1 Thessalonians 5:23-24 (MsgB)

God calls us to be holy, to be free from sin. His desire is that we will live a righteous life. But like the little boy we may think we have cleaned up, but there is still dirt left behind. We deceive ourselves by thinking, “I’ve cleaned up the body,” but our thought life is still filthy. God wants us to be holy and whole. Impurity in one area of our lives spills over into all the others.

Fortunately God does not expect us to clean up our sin through our own efforts. God goes help us wash our hands. Jesus did for us what we can’t do for ourselves; you can count on it.

We will soon be called to sit at the table God has prepared in heaven. Let’s be ready when He calls. Keep your hands clean—soul and spirit too—not alone but with God’s help!