Clean Because of the Word

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Clean Because of the Word

God is a God of miracles.     Here we are — definitely all sinners.     Surely,  there is absolutely no way  we can become really good and perfect  all by ourselves.    We cannot erase all  of our sins  of the past.     There is no way  our self-righteousness will ever fool God  into thinking we are good enough  for heaven.     So,  God reveals His way  of doing things  for us.    In John 15:3,  Jesus tells the disciples,

You are already clean  because of the word  which I have spoken  to you.

The kind of  “clean”  Jesus was referring to  was the pruning  of grape vines.     If he wants a good harvest,  the vinedresser  has to cut off  — “clean off” —  all the dead branches  and all the diseased branches.    And,  he must cut back  — clean up — certain parts  of the growth,  to enable that vine  to bear more fruit  and better fruit.

God prunes us  with His word.     When we learn  the word of God  and accept it  for what it is,  God cuts off  all the dead parts  of our lives.     By faith  in God’s word,  all our past sins  are cut away  and burned — gone forever.

And then,  God cuts off  all the diseased parts  of our lives.     All our pet sins  that want to cling  to our lives  are no longer pet sins.     When we see the ugly disfigurement  and death  these diseased sins bring  to our lives,   for Jesus’ sake,  we repent  of those sins,  and strive  to stop doing them.     Repentance is a pruning — a cleaning.     That is God working  in our lives, cutting off  the diseased parts  of our lives.     All those diseased parts  of our lives  are also burned — gone with the pruning  of God’s word  in our hearts.

Then,  God prunes us — cleans us up — even further  to enable us  to bear really good fruit  for Him.     We endure trials  and afflictions  that test us  and test us again — strengthening our faith  in the truths  of God.     If we didn’t have any trials  and afflictions  to prove our faith  and strengthen our faith,  we wouldn’t have a real faith.     We would just lamely  be trusting  in our own efforts  to live righteously — and that would be damming  to us.      So,  God prunes us with troubles  of all sorts  and we learn  to trust and obey — bearing the fruits  of faith,  hope  and love.

We need  to let God prune away  on us.     Let Him forgive  all our past sins.     Let Him admonish us  with His word,  so that we straighten out  our sinful life styles.     Let Him give us trials  and challenges  that force us  to take leaps  of faith  that glorify God  and bring praise  to His name.     As our faith — which is our fruit — becomes stronger,  we will gradually learn  to give thanks  in all things,  trusting God’s love  to guide us  in all our ways.

All this  is the miracle  of God working  in our hearts  and minds.     It is nothing  we are able  to do.     We can’t cut off  our past sins.     We can’t cut off  the ugliness  of our daily sins  and by our own power  start leading  a perfect life.     We can’t automatically conjure up  a strong faith  in God.     We have to  let God do all this  for us.

And God does all this  for us  through His word.     “You are already  clean  because of the word  which I have spoken  to you.”     So,  let God speak  to us.     Study His word — learn from it — let it help  through trials  of all sorts — let it help us learn  to trust and obey.

Filled with the fruit  of praise and thanksgiving,  we say,  “Hallelujah!     My Lord,  You do all things  for me.     Now I can live eternally  because of Your word.”

Love,
Margaret

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A Christian devotional to glorify the LORD of lords and God of gods

 

Pray for our country.

 

This is the day which the LORD has made;
Let us rejoice and be glad in it.
Psalm 118:24

 

The word of the LORD is tried;
He is a shield  to all  who take refuge  in Him.
Psalm 18:30

 

Sing for joy in the LORD,  O you righteous ones;
Praise is becoming  to the upright.
Psalm 33:1

How blessed are those  who dwell in Thy house!
They are ever praising Thee.
Psalm 84:4

 

Just as a father has compassion  on his children,
So the LORD has compassion on those who fear Him.
Psalm 103:13

 

Oh give thanks to the LORD,  for He is good;
For His lovingkindness is everlasting.
Psalm 107:1

 

Glory in His holy name;
Let the heart of those who seek the LORD be glad.
Psalm 105:3

 

Not that I have already obtained it, or have already become perfect, but I press on in order that
I may lay hold of that for which also I was laid hold of by Christ Jesus.
Philippians 3:12

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