Let us draw near to God with a sincere heart and with the full assurance that faith brings, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful. Hebrews 10: 22-23 NIV
Today’s spring cleaning chores include washing walls. It is vey revealing. Some of the smudges are simply dirt; others will not come off no matter how hard I scrub. There are marks made by the children’s slippers as they lay on their backs looking at the ceiling (what were those slippers made of, I wonder. And what is so interesting about the ceiling?). There’s the place where the orange mop handle hit the almond kitchen wall. There are the arcs made by picture frames as they were straightened. No doubt about it: we need to do some repainting.
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Lord, there must be marks on my soul, too. Places where, in my disobedience, I did damage to myself and others. In my humanness, Lord I wonder how those stains could ever be removed. How can You forget what so clearly I remember? But in Your Word You promise to cleanse my guilty conscience, to remember my sin no more. And by faith I accept this as I do all else. Because of Your sacrifice, no repainting is needed. My soul is spotless and clean. You are faithful.