…Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word… (Ephesians 5:26, NIV)
One of the amenities still available at most country clubs is a locker room shower. Need to go from the course to dinner in the clubhouse? A good shower can leave you refreshed and your friends receptive when you go to greet them.
On the night of his arrest, Jesus’ interaction with the Twelve included the washing of their feet. Peter protested, then when rebuked asked that Jesus clean him in entirety. Jesus’ response was that this complete cleansing had already been done: “A person who has had a bath needs only to clean his feet; his whole body is clean. And you are clean…” (John 13:10).
This matter of cleansing was reprised by Paul in his letter to the Ephesians, when he wrote of the work Jesus had done on behalf of the church—that is, the assembly of all believers. Jesus…
– loved the church, so he…
– gave himself up for the church, thereby…
– making the church holy, and…
– cleansing her with his word.
If we are in Christ, we too have been made clean at our core. Jesus has loved us, died for us, and—remarkably—made us holy. But also, he has cleansed us.
The question today is, now that we are clean, do we need a foot-washing, a tidying up, a refreshing?
The answer to this question is nearly always yes. While we do walk with Jesus, we walk in this world. The road is ever dusty. We are dirtied simply by walking it.
When we need a cleansing like this, we do best to go back to Jesus’ preferred cleansing agent. We want to return to the word, to the truth God gives us. And we should not hesitate to take a luxuriant shower as opposed to a quick rinse. Most of us read too briefly or sing too few hymns. God’s truths capture our attention but don’t get a chance to soak into our skin. We need to give our worship the time it deserves.
When we let Jesus restore our cleanliness, we really do “clean up quite nicely.” Don’t wait for a push. Jump in! And stay there till you shine!
—
Jeff Hopper
April 16, 2014
Copyright 2014 Links Players International
The Links Daily Devotional appears Monday-Friday at www.linksplayers.com.