Our puppy loves water. She likes nothing better than to be put in the laundry tub and bathed, unlike our other dog that runs a mile at the mere mention of the word ‘bath.’ She happily gets soaped up, rubbed and rinsed. Since she is low to the ground and is an outdoor some of the time and loves investigating everything, the bathwater ends up an interesting color.
Dried and brushed, she looks adorable with her ginger fur tinged with black on ears and around her mouth and on her tail. Unfortunately she doesn’t stay clean long. Too soon she is dirty again especially after we’ve been along the walking tracks that wind around through the public land past the waters of St Georges Basin. It’s an ongoing process keeping her clean. The same is true of Christians.
God promises that ‘if we confess our sins, he who is faithful and just will forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness’ I John 1:9. The trouble is that cleansing is not a one off thing. It’d be nice to think that was the case. But that’s not the reality. Like our pup that needs to be frequently bathed, we need to keep coming back to the Lord for cleansing because we continue to sin. If you and I think we don’t, then we haven’t read I John 1:8.
Some sins we fall prey to more often than others. In Psalm 51 David prayed for God’s forgiveness for specific sins, that had to do with his relationship with Bathsheba and arranged murder of Uriah. He also asked God to ‘search’ him and to‘test’ him, and reveal ‘any wicked way’ in him, Psalm 139:23-24.
As usual these verses caused me to think of the song which went to the tune of a Maori melody. When I sang that song it was like a prayer. Could I suggest you use these words from Psalm 139 or from the song as your prayer to God and then claim his promise in 1 John 1:9? But remember it’s not a one off experience but something that needs to be done on a regular basis.
Bible verse from New Revised Standard Version
Please visit these related blogs
Psalm 1: uncompromising godliness
consequences of unconfessed sin
A work in progress