Ginny

Dix

God promises to make us completely clean on the inside. Psalms 51:7ClosePsalms 51:7 Purify me from my sins,* and I will be clean;  wash me, and I will be whiter than snow. OPEN VERSE IN BIBLE (nlt) (KJV) says,

"Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean: wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow."

We can ask God to make us clean and He does. It doesn't matter what we've done, how despicable we've been, or how many we've hurt, God's cleansing is thorough.

We don't always feel clean, though, do we? We remember what we've done and we're ashamed. That shame and the guilt that goes with it keep us from believing the sins are gone. We can't accept God's forgiveness. We become obsessed by how dirty we once were on the inside.

Everything in the natural can be cleaned, but it sometimes takes a special process to get there. An oil stain in the driveway takes a combination of chemicals to get clean. Clothing might need bleach. A wall might need repainting. And some stains can never be cleaned no matter how hard you scrub.

That's the kind of cleaning we're used to, and we can't help but wonder what else we could do to get right again after sin. Surely bigger sins require some sort of penance. Somewhere there must be a list of things we need to do to pre-treat our stains before we dare come before the sinless Almighty for forgiveness.

But God's cleansing is thorough. 1 John 1:9Close1 John 1:9 But if we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness. OPEN VERSE IN BIBLE (nlt) (KJV) says,

"If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness."

"All" is what it says. It doesn't say "some." It doesn't say "certain sins." It doesn't say "except for the below-mentioned actions."

Even if others haven't forgiven us, even if we haven't forgiven ourselves, even if we are still living with the consequences of what we've done, God's forgiveness is thorough. Jesus Christ and His death on the cross paid the whole price for our sin. Because of Him, we can be as completely clean on the inside as we are on the outside.

All we need to do is tell God we're sorry for what we've done and ask Him to forgive us. He is waiting to make us clean again.

It's as easy as this: "Heavenly Father, I'm sorry for my sins. I'm buried under this guilt that I deserve. But please forgive me and make me right again with You. I want to be clean again on the inside. Thank You. I know You've forgiven me because Your word says so. In Jesus' name. Amen."

Copyright © Ginny Dix, used by permission.

CBN.com My two dogs, Oliver and Dodger, are popular with the neighborhood kids. The kids often come over to play with them. However, kids being kids, they aren’t always vigilant about keeping my gate closed, so the dogs take advantage and escape my yard every chance they get.

When I’m not home, my cousin, who lives with me, mobilizes the neighborhood to get the fugitives safely back into confinement where they belong. Oliver and Dodger have a ball playing games like “Chase Me” and “Keep Away” with so many people. They think it’s great fun, while my poor neighbors go through an awful ordeal to recapture them. The neighbors try tricking the dogs, they try trapping them, and then finally, when both humans and canines are exhausted, they get the dogs back in the yard.

But if the dogs escape when I’m home, all I do is get out the leashes and crouch where my dogs can see me. They come running right to me because those leashes mean we’re going for a walk, one of their favorite activities. They know I’m not going to punish them and I’m not trying to trick them. We’re going to get our walk, even if it’s only the short walk home. They trust me.

Trust isn’t as easy for humans. When someone does something special for us, we don’t know whether to trust the blessing or not. We quickly learn the hard way that too often when people are nice to us, they’re just buttering us up because they want something from us. Before we bask in the glow of their kindnesses, we want to know, “What’s the catch?”

So when the Lord blesses us, we get suspicious. What awful thing is about to happen to us that He is preparing us for?

But Proverbs 10:22CloseProverbs 10:22 The blessing of the LORD makes a person rich,  and he adds no sorrow with it. OPEN VERSE IN BIBLE (nlt) (KJV) says, “The blessing of the LORD, it maketh rich, and he addeth no sorrow with it.” The Lord blesses us to see us happy, to gift us with pleasure, to make us rich in joy. He is not trying to trick us, nor setting us up for a crushing disappointment.

We can trust Him because He loves us and always does what’s best for us. God blesses us every day in so many ways, small and large. Wouldn’t you think that many good things would prove God can be trusted—that His blessings don’t come with strings attached?

Every rainbow we see, every time the sun is shining, every “yes” answer to prayer we get should strengthen our trust in the Lord. After all, every good thing that comes our way comes from Him (James 1:17CloseJames 1:17 Whatever is good and perfect comes down to us from God our Father, who created all the lights in the heavens.* He never changes or casts a shifting shadow.* OPEN VERSE IN BIBLE (nlt) .)

As much as I love my dogs, I do have an agenda when I bring out those leashes: I’m trying to get them safely back home. But God has no hidden agenda, no ulterior motives, no sinister designs on us. We can enjoy His blessings because we can trust Him. He will bless us richly and not add sorrow with it.

Ginny Dix is a Partner Services Representative at CBN. Send her your e-mail comments.

The answer is Isaiah 55:8-9CloseIsaiah 55:8-9 "My thoughts are nothing like your thoughts," says the LORD.  "And my ways are far beyond anything you could imagine. For just as the heavens are higher than the earth,  so my ways are higher than your ways  and my thoughts higher than your thoughts. OPEN VERSE IN BIBLE (nlt) (KJV):

"For My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways My ways, saith the LORD. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways, and My thoughts than your thoughts."

Those are comforting verses, but how different can God's point of view be? Shouldn't I be able to see at least a little bit of progress?

Then I remember Scott. When I was a kid, I did a lot of babysitting and really liked it when the kids came to my house because of my little brother. He was not much older than the kids I sat for, and would play with them, saving me a lot of work.

One day I babysat for four-year-old Scott. While playing together, he and my little brother found treasure: five pennies and one quarter. They decided to divide the spoils, so my brother generously gave Scott the quarter and he kept the five pennies. I was proud of my brother for his sacrifice, but Scott wasn't happy. He cried and said we weren't being fair. Between sobs, he made it clear he thought we were cheating him because my brother got five coins and Scott got only one.

We tried to tell him that the quarter was like having twenty-five pennies, so he was getting the most out of the deal, but he didn't believe us. No amount of explanation, mathematical theory, or flow charts convinced Scott he was coming out ahead.

He was no fool. He could see with his own eyes that five coins were more than one coin, so who did we think we were kidding? Give him that choice today and he would choose the quarter because now he understands that, no matter how it looks, one quarter is more than five pennies.

Like Scott, I look to the natural and I'm disappointed. I can't comprehend that there might be another viewpoint, God's divine perspective. The spiritual can be as inconceivable to a mortal mind as one coin being worth more than five coins is to a four-year-old child's mind.

All we humans can do is believe that reaching goals in God's eyes is not like reaching goals to the rest of us. No matter if every one of our senses warns us we are not getting anywhere, we don't have to worry or try to measure our progress against man-made deadlines. All we have to do is make sure we are doing whatever God wants us to do right this minute. He will take care of our direction and keep us on the path to His success, His way, in His timing. We can trust God because His thoughts are greater than our thoughts, and His infinite ways are beyond our finite ways.

Anybody want a quarter?