Taking a Spiritual Bath

DAILY BIBLE READING:

2 Chronicles 14:1–16:14 
Romans 9:1-24 
Psalm 19:1-14 
Proverbs 20:1

BIBLE VERSE(S) FOR TODAY:

Psalm 19:12-14 (CSB)

12 "Who perceives his unintentional sins? Cleanse me from my hidden faults." 

13 "Moreover, keep your servant from willful sins; do not let them rule me. Then I will be blameless and cleansed from blatant rebellion." 

14 "May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable to you, Lord, my rock and my Redeemer."

REFLECTIONS ON TODAY'S BIBLE VERSE(S):

The Christian life is one of compliance and of joy. 

It is compliance because God has made His standard clear and we are called to obey.

It is joy because we realize that as we obey our Lord, our consciences will be clear and we are free to enjoy fellowship with our God.

But, sin stands in the way. There is a hidden part of us that wars against us. It's called "the flesh." And it regularly calls us to stray from the path of holiness that God has called us to walk upon.

So, it must also be the regularly duty of the serious Jesus-follower to take a spiritual bath. We need to get cleaned up after we sin and so confession and repentance are necessary.

Our Verses for Today lead us in that discipline. In fact, they provide us with the words of a prayer that we could offer up regularly.

First, our spiritual cleansing begins with an acknowledgement that we have probably committed sins without even knowing it. Maybe we are unaware of some command God has given or we weren't paying attention to what we did. So, we ask for forgiveness for our unintended sins:

Psalm 19:12 "Who perceives his unintentional sins? Cleanse me from my hidden faults."

Second, we acknowledge that there are certainly things we have done (or left undone) that violated God's commands. Or, maybe we did a good thing but with the wrong motive or attitude. So, we confess these sins specifically and ask that God would keep us from doing them in the future. 

Psalm 19:13 "Moreover, keep your servant from willful sins; do not let them rule me. Then I will be blameless and cleansed from blatant rebellion." 

Finally, we ask that the Lord would give us what we need to not only comply with God's commands with our actions, but also with our words and the private thoughts of our heart. We don't just ask for forgiveness - we crave to live in holiness.

Psalm 19:14 "May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable to you, Lord, my rock and my Redeemer."

So, the question remains, friend: Are you serious about following Jesus? Have you genuinely given your life, all of it, to Him and is it your desire to live for him in the moments of your days?

Then, you've got to take daily, spiritual baths. Consider using Psalm 19:12-14 to do that.