Clean before the Lord

 Being clean is very important for our well-being physically and spiritually. I think we have all heard the old saying, "Cleanliness is next to godliness." God is totally clean from any impurities, and He wants us to be clean, too. If we allow ourselves to be dirty, it causes all kinds of sickness and problems. If we are spiritually dirty, we are cut off from being close to the Lord.

God made this very clear when He gave the instructions for how to build the temple in Jerusalem. Everything had to be clean in order to come before Him. (II Chronicles 4:6) There were ten lavers, five on the right and five on the left, for the washing of everything that was presented in the burnt offerings. Then, there was a huge Sea, so the priests could wash in it to come before the Lord. There was lots of water and lots of washing going on in the temple.

We need to keep this in mind today, too. I am not talking about physical washing, but spiritual washing. None of us can come to the Lord without first repenting of our sins and trusting Jesus as our Lord and Savior. When we do that we are washed clean. Our sins are taken away, and we stand justified before the Lord, cleansed of our sins. Then, we have a relationship with our holy Lord.

After that we still need to remember to confess any sins we commit, so we can enter His presence with no sins to hinder us. That is why I John 1:9 is so important. We should make confession of sin a daily practice to stay very close to the Lord. Then, when we worship the Lord, we make sure that whatever praises and offerings we bring to Him are clean, too, as they come from a clean heart.

#NHBaptistdotorg

Tomorrow, I intend to read II Chronicles 5-7.