Guided thoughts again (VI)

Part of being self-employed in the business world today is that there is often a requirement for travel. I know that many peeps don't agree, but the hubs and I prefer to travel via automobile, instead of flying. We pack some foods that are OK on our diet regimen, make sure the vehicle is ready to roll, and then we hit the road! (Grin)

Once home again, it is a necessary ritual to clean up the car that we've traveled in. Life on the road means running through storms, and getting mud and crud splashed up the sides. It means being on the receiving end of bug splatters on the front, and so the bumper and grille need special attention.

You see, if those stains and splatters are left on the paint, they will actually harm it. Don't ask me to explain the chemical interactions, or the breaking down of the process, but it can happen. Stains can become permanent, and even pitted areas can appear. Pitted places in the paint can grow in size and become easily apparent.  A good high-speed polish can help those, even though in actuality, a thin layer of paint is being removed. (Ouch!)

Are y'all getting my drift?
Or, to put it another way, are you getting what the Spirit wants us to see in this picture?

As we Christians go through life, we often go through storms and mud. We get splashed with dirt and crud, and even the telltale signs of sin. We are in this world, and there's not much way to avoid all of this. Splatters of temper, or pitted places from harsh words. Even splashes of jealousy, of unforgiving spirit, or of slothfulness, or maybe of willful sin.

Oy vey.
Is it time for a good scrubbing?
Does the Spirit need to give us a good cleaning?
You know what will happen if that stuff stays around . . .

See to it that no one falls short of the grace of God and that no bitter root grows up to cause trouble and defile many. (Hebrews 12:15)

Bitterness and jealousy can "grow" and hurt many people.

But your iniquities have separated    you from your God;your sins have hidden his face from you,    so that he will not hear. For your hands are stained with blood,    your fingers with guilt.
Your lips have spoken falsely,    and your tongue mutters wicked things. (Isaiah 59:2-3)

Sin keeps us from having that close and sweet relationship with our Father.

And how are we to know how much we sin? Is there anyone who is truly aware of how sinful we are? Human nature is so strong in us, still, and it's not just the faults we know about, but the ones we don't know, too. It's not just the sins we hide from others, but the ones that we don't see or recognize yet as sins.

But who can discern their own errors?    Forgive my hidden faults. Keep your servant also from willful sins;    may they not rule over me.
Then I will be blameless,    innocent of great transgression. (Psalm 19:12-13)

Quick! Where's the soap, and the water? God made provision for us .....

Have mercy on me, O God,    according to your unfailing love;
according to your great compassion    blot out my transgressions. Wash away all my iniquity    and cleanse me from my sin. (Psalm 51:1-2)

Our Father can reveal our sins to us through the Holy Spirit, and God will not just reveal but He will cleanse and restore us.

If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. (I John 1:9)

Amen!

Proverbs 30:11-14 Cleanser needed, Part II

¹¹ "There are those who curse their fathers and do not bless their mothers;
¹² those who are pure in their own eyes and yet are not cleansed of their filth;
¹³ those whose eyes are ever so haughty, whose glances are so disdainful;
¹⁴ those whose teeth are swords and whose jaws are set with knives to devour the poor from the earth, the needy from among mankind.

Yesterday we studied the need for being cleansed, the person Who could cleanse us, and the process by which we could experience cleansing.
Today we'll look at these four things that Agur mentions, that are stains on us, like spots on a counter top. 
First, not showing respect for our parents. This doesn't just cover the outward things, like talking back and being disrespectful. It covers the sneaky, insidious things, too. The disrespectful thoughts, or (God forbid) the cheating of elderly and incapacitated parents. Many today think nothing of that, and while I don't think any of our study friends would do that, it may be that our thought lives are not as kind or gracious as they should be. And granted, as our parents age, it may be difficult to have grace in the situations that are presented to us, but the Word does tell us in the Old Testament it was serious business:

“Whoever curses his father or his mother shall be put to death. Exodus 21:17

Hear, my son, your father's instruction, and forsake not your mother's teaching,  Proverbs 1:8

And in the New Testament:

Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. “Honor your father and mother” (this is the first commandment with a promise), “that it may go well with you and that you may live long in the land.” Ephesians 6:1-3

Next we are warned not to have a wrong attitude about sin. "Pure in their own eyes" is the way it's put in verse 12. We covered this pretty well yesterday -- all of us have sinned and come short of the glory of our Father.
Verse 13 talks about being "high and mighty" as my grandma would have said. Pride and arrogance are contrary to our walk; if we follow Christ's example and strive to be godly, these need to be rooted out.

"Do not keep talking so proudly or let your mouth speak such arrogance, for the LORD is a God who knows, and by him deeds are weighed. I Samuel 2:3

Are our eyes "haughty" or our glances "disdainful"? Or do we humble ourselves and ask God how we can serve others?
Lastly, verse 14 speaks of cruelty, specifically the cruelty meted out by our mouths -- it mentions teeth and jaws . . . ever heard the phrase, "chewed him (or her) up and spit 'em out"? Rather graphic, but it denotes a severe and harsh treatment; it speaks of a cruelty that should not be part of our lives.

Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.  Ephesians 4:29

The last two days' study have caused some of us to get out the bandaids, haven't they? God's Word truly is "for reproof, for correction, and for training . . ." 

Proverbs 30:11-14 Cleanser needed, Part I

¹¹ "There are those who curse their fathers and do not bless their mothers;
¹² those who are pure in their own eyes and yet are not cleansed of their filth;
¹³ those whose eyes are ever so haughty, whose glances are so disdainful;
¹⁴ those whose teeth are swords and whose jaws are set with knives to devour the poor from the earth, the needy from among mankind.

When I began to study these verses the second part of verse 12 really stood out -- "not cleansed of their filth."  It was apparent to me that all four of these verses were noting things that we do need to be cleansed of; these are sins that we need to ask forgiveness for, and turn away from.

When these are in our lives we need a cleanser, like a kitchen counter top that needs to be cleaned and left spotless and shining.  God wants to use us in service, but He can’t effectively use us until we are cleansed from sin and filled with His Spirit. Many people don’t even recognize themselves as sinners. They may think they occasionally do something wrong -- but they don’t see it as a sin against God. Of course, if a person doesn’t believe in God, then they definitely don’t think they have sinned. They may think they have made a mistake but they have certainly don't think they've sinned against anyone.

The Bible has something to say about that, though. Let's look at Romans 3:9-12:

What shall we conclude then? Do we have any advantage? Not at all! For we have already made the charge that Jews and Gentiles alike are all under the power of sin. As it is written:
“There is no one righteous, not even one; there is no one who understands;
    there is no one who seeks God.All have turned away, they have together become worthless; there is no one who does good, not even one.”

As Christians, we know the Person who can help us with this cleansing. Not only do we know Him, but we know that He is willing to help us:

“When he came down from the mountainside, large crowds followed him. A man with leprosy came and knelt before him and said, “Lord, if you are willing, you can make me clean.” Jesus reached out his hand and touched the man. “I am willing,” he said. “Be clean!” Immediately he was cured of his leprosy.” Matthew 8:1-3

Just as He healed the leper of his disease, He is willing and able to heal us and cleanse us of our sin.
No matter how we have sinned, He loves us and will cleanse us!
We also know the process of cleansing. Initially, we are cleansed from our sins when we confess Christ and surrender to Him in faith and obedience. But what if we sin after we confess Christ and start that new life? What can we do then?

 “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.” I John 1:9

You see, if we needed to go through the whole process again, some of us (me included) would be constantly needing to confess faith and be baptized, and I guess for me it would seem like there was a pool party every day -- I have to ask Him to forgive me for so many things! But all we have to do whenever we recognize that we've sinned, is bow our heads and confess to Him; we must repent (turn away) from the sin, and move forward from there. Satan has an impressive toolkit, you know, and one of his tools is to get us to think that we are not forgiven, not worthy to be a child of the King. So it's important not to wallow in it -- but to accept that He can forgive us and purify us, like in the verse above!
Why all this talk about cleansing? Why is cleansing necessary? Hmmm, I think Paul tells us, or actually we can listen in to his words to Timothy long ago:

In a large house there are articles not only of gold and silver, but also of wood and clay; some are for noble purposes and some for ignoble. If a man cleanses himself from the latter, he will be an instrument for noble purposes, made holy, useful to the Master and prepared to do any good work. II Timothy 2:20-21

Do we long to be used of God? To do a work for His kingdom? Then we need to be certain that we are cleansed and ready for the Holy Spirit to guide us . . . then we can be holy, and useful to the Master!