You Are Clean

By: Rhonda Dungan

Rhonda was a lost sheep that was found and now lives in the glorious grace and love of the Shepherd.

My study the last two days has been encouraging to my soul. My joy can't help but grow wings and take flight when God whispers words of His love to my heart.  It is this flight of joy that brings this to you!

In John 13, Jesus performs an extraordinary action of love to His beloved disciples, He washes their feet. When Jesus came to Peter, there was an exchange of words as Peter struggled to allow Jesus to kneel before him and clean his feet.  Stop and think about that a moment. It is a humbling thing to have your feet washed by a brethren. It is beautiful, but humbling. Now think of Jesus, the Son of God, Prince of Glory, bowing before you, taking your dirty feet in His pure, clean hands, and washing them with a tender, gentle love.  This thought brings tears to my eyes 

It is in this exchange of words that Jesus makes the statement, 'you are clean'.  Those 3 words encircled my heart and gently gave it a hug.  The Greek word used here literally means - 'pure; purified by fire; a vine fit to bear fruit; imparts NO uncleanness; free from corrupt desire, sin or guilt; blameless; innocent; in a similitude'.  Wow!!  Similitude is defined as 'advisable likeness; an imaginative comparison; correspondence in kind or quality'.  Again I say, Wow!   Our cleanness is like that of Jesus Christ!  This is our sanctified souls dear ones!  The robe of righteousness we were adorned with when Jesus put on our sin and guilt.  

The Spirit of God penned these words through the writer of Hebrews, 'because of one sacrifice He has made perfect FOREVER those who are being made holy' (Hebrews 10:14).  From this passage, and the John 13 passage, I glean we are covered in His righteousness, yet we need a continual washing from our daily living in this world, battling our fleshly desires, and our daily walk in a corrupt world. Our feet get dirty. We need them washed daily.  

Here, I must share with you the visual aid given to me today. I stepped out of my bedroom this morning and stepped into cat throw up. Ugh. I hobbled to the bathroom, and as I was washing my foot, I was reminded by a quite voice within not to forget to meet with my Lord for my soul needed its own foot washing. That made me smile.  

I encourage the beloved of Christ to have your souls' feet washed today.  Remember, ‘you are clean’ and walk in this truth today. May you 'impart no uncleanness'. Today may you walk in the freedom of uncorrupted thinking and actions. Our Lord 'cut through the bars of iron, and broke down the gates of bronze' to redeem us from our bondage to sin. The shackles are loosed, walk in your freedom of 'you are clean'.

www.newlineministries.com 

‘Like a well-watered garden’……

Rhonda was a lost sheep that was found and now lives in the glorious grace and love of the Shepherd.

www.newlineministries.com

    A few Thursdays back, Don, my husband, asked me when I last watered the secret garden.  I thought for a moment, and remembered it was Monday.  Two days had passed, not that many days really.. but for some of the garden flowers that was another story.  I walked out to see how all had fared.  To my surprise, and dismay, several plants were wilted and lying on the ground.  They had been watered well on Monday, just two days ago!  As I stood there watering, I begin to think of the analogy of our souls and how we must keep them well watered.

    Our souls need careful and faithful tending.  They need watering.  Not with just any water, but living water.  God’s Word, His handwritten love letter to you and me, brings life, cleansing, renewal, nourishment, hope, peace, encouragement, and many other delights to our soul.  Yet, it is too easy to get so busy that we fail to tend the garden of our soul.  It doesn’t take long for the assault of the enemy, and life’s daily demands to leave us thirsty and weary.  For my soul, there are several ways to water it.  Open Scripture and read, to sit quietly and ponder a verse or something from a book I am reading, or music feeds my soul also.  Prayer, watching a beautiful sunrise or sunset, or sitting quietly and remembering the faithfulness of God in my life brings joy to my soul and brings praise from my lips.    As I was standing watering my plants in the garden that day, God was teaching me about the need of daily tending to my soul, and that was nourishment in itself for my soul.  I know speaking hope and truth into another weary soul, reminding one who is downcast that there is hope, and His name is Jesus, feeds my own soul.   God has provided so many wonderful ways for our souls to flourish.

     As we feed our flowers nourishment, and prune them for better and healthier production, water them for sustaining life, so our souls need this same tender care and prudent attention.  It isn’t about opening our Bibles and reading a prescribed passage, shutting our Bibles and ticking off a box for “another thing done today,” and feeling proud of ourselves.  Such an attitude can leave a soul garden dry as dead man’s bones!  It is about life, caring, tending, awareness, honesty to yourself and others.  It is about falling and finding mercy and grace.  It is about loving and being loved in a manner outside of our own ability.   All this involves a living and working relationship with Christ, His Spirit alive and working in us and thorough us, which comes from a well-watered garden.

    I encourage you to water your soul garden well today.  I promise you it will make a world of difference in your life, and the lives around you.