“Come now, and let us reason together,” says the Lord,
“Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be white as snow;
Though they are red like crimson, they shall be as wool.”
Isaiah 1:18 (NKJV)
Series: His Name is Jesus
My dearest childhood memories live in the quiet countryside of Southern Illinois, where I grew up. Driving go-carts on our self-made dusty tracks, riding bareback through fields on my favorite horse, and building clubhouses in the woods with my siblings and cousins every summer are just a few of the recollections that bring genuine joy to my soul.
As I reminisce about these fun experiences, I realize what my mom must have gone through as our mud covered shoes and grimy bodies tracked all over her clean house each day. The excessive loads of laundry, the repetitive sweeping and mopping of floors, and the constant reminders to get in the shower never made her flinch. She just kept up with us—knowing she’d have clean, fresh smelling kids to tuck in at bedtime.
I remember arguing once that I was just going to go play outside again tomorrow, and I can still hear her saying, “You don’t take a bath to keep from getting dirty; you take a bath to get clean.” I couldn’t argue with that.
As believers, followers of Jesus, we are forgiven and free. Yet living out our faith can feel like an endless cycle of scrubbing our lives clean. We mess up something and we try to fix it. We fall into bad habits and try to break them. But once Jesus saves you, you are not the one doing the cleaning. He is. And He never flinches either.
This week, through the pages of scripture, we meet Jesus as our Purifier and Refiner. If He truly is Lord of your life, you will welcome His transforming power. Purification is becoming clean or pure in a physical, moral, or spiritual sense, and God calls us to be pure, discarding anything that is unlike Him. This is essential as we draw near to God. Though our flesh and spirit constantly struggle, let’s ask Him to align our hearts, minds, souls, and strength with His—firmly planting ourselves in Christ.
King David often prayed for this purification in his own life. In Psalm 51:1-2 (NKJV) he cries out:
Have mercy upon me, O God, according to Your lovingkindness; According to the multitude of Your tender mercies, blot out my transgressions. Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, And cleanse me from my sin.
King David’s plea for God to wash away his sin and lavish mercy upon him brings hope to us as believers because He will do the same for us. As we repent of sinful behaviors, He is faithful to also wash us clean and set us apart as His children. Jesus is our Purifier, our guide to holiness, humility, and righteousness.
In the Old Testament, purification was associated with ceremonial cleanliness. The Law of Moses had many rituals and sacrifices for men and women to achieve purification from physical and spiritual impurities. It was an uphill battle, to say the least.
Friends, we have the blessing of the New Covenant found in the New Testament scriptures. The sacrifice of Jesus Christ provided fulfillment of The Law, and all who believe in Him shall be saved. Jesus, the only sinless person to ever walk the earth, gave up His life for you. How could we not want to be more like Him? Without Jesus we have no chance of being full of grace, mercy, love, patience, kindness, gentleness, self-control, goodness—this list goes on!
Jesus taught about this process in Mark 7:18-23 (NLT):
“Don’t you understand either?” He asked. “Can’t you see that the food you put into your body cannot defile you? Food doesn’t go into your heart, but only passes through the stomach and then goes into the sewer.”(By saying this, he declared that every kind of food is acceptable in God’s eyes.) And then He added, “It is what comes from inside that defiles you. For from within, out of a person’s heart, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, greed, wickedness, deceit, lustful desires, envy, slander, pride, and foolishness. All these vile things come from within; they are what defile you.”
Purification, according to Jesus, must involve a radical transformation of mind, heart, and spirit. Your words, thoughts, attitudes, and actions must reflect those of your Savior. Releasing impure things like pride, dishonesty, anger, bitterness, envy, or unwholesome talk, so that you can be a light for Jesus, a follower devoted in every way to Him, means cooperating with the Holy Spirit dwelling in you. You are not alone on this course. He leads you, teaches you, and directs you in all ways that lead to refinement. Ask God to reveal anything in your life that might need to be adjusted, filtered or removed.
In Psalm 139:23-24 (NKJV) David gives us a beautiful example of what a life submitted to the Lord requires:
Search me, O God, and know my heart; Try me, and know my anxieties; And see if there is any wicked way in me. And lead me in the way everlasting.
David was the anointed king, chosen and placed in authority over God’s people. He set his heart upon the Lord, and in the times his flesh overtook him, he turned to God for refinement and forgiveness, and God redeemed him. As you seek to look more like Jesus, it requires sacrifice and submission. The places you go, the movies you watch, the books you read, and activities you take part in all need His perfect cleansing. Are you willing to start the process that leads to a life surrendered to Jesus? Are you ready to be purely His?
Friends, let today be the day you follow the example of David. Set your heart upon Jesus and may your life be set apart for His glory.
Holding Fast to Hope,
Jen
Scripture References: Isaiah 1:18; Psalm 51:1-2, Psalm 139:23-24; Mark 7:18-23; Malachi 3:2