Completely Clean

It is not possible that the blood of bulls and goats could take away sins. - Hebrews 10:4

Happy birthday to me. Happy birthday to me. Happy birthday to me-ee. Happy birtday to me... Happy bir...

After humming the "birthday song" a second time, I turned off the faucet's running water. It is said that singing the song through twice while washing your hands (about 20 seconds) is a good way to remove most bacteria. But it doesn't last. I need to repeat this process each time they are contaminated.

In the Old Testament, the people of God offered sacrifices over and over to cover their sins. But the blood of the animals didn't actually "take away sins". Only the precious sacrifice of Jesus could do that!

Animal sacrifices are no longer needed because Christ's sacrifice...

~ was one for all - unlike animal sacrifices, which had to be offered "continually year by year".

~ cleanses us completely from all guilt and sin - unlike the blood of animals that was a reminder of sin's penalty and could never take away our sins.

"By one offering [Christ] has perfected forever those who are being sanctified". Only through Jesus can we be declared completely clean.

Once for all, O sinner, receive it;

Once for all, O brother, believe it;

Cling to the cross, the burden will fall,

Christ hath redeemed us once for all. - Bliss

Christ's cleansing power can remove the most stubborn stain of sin.

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Hebrews 10:1-18

The law is only a shadow of the good things that are coming - not the realities themselves. For this reason it can never, by the same sacrifices repeated endlessly year after year, make perfect those who draw near to worship. If it could, would they not have stopped being offered? For the worshipers would have been cleansed once for all, and would no longer have felt guilty for their sins. But those sacrifices are an annual reminder of sins, because it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins.

Therefore, when Christ came int the world, he said:

"Sacrifice and offering you did not desire,

but a body you prepared for me;

with burnt offerings and sin offerings

you were not pleased.

Then I said, 'Here I am - it is written about me in the scroll - I have come to do your will, O God.'"

First He said, "Sacrifices and offerings, burnt offerings and sin offerings you did not desire, nor were you pleased with them" (although the law required them to be made). Then he said, "Here I am, I have come to do your will." He sets aside the first to establish the second. And by that will, we have been made holy through the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.

Day after day every priest stands and performs his religious duties; again and again he offers the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins. But when this priest had offered for all time one sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God. Since that time he waits for his enemies to be made his footstool, because by one sacrifice he has made perfect forever those who are being made holy.

The Holy Spirit also testifies to us about this. First He says:

"This is the covenant I will make with them after that time, says the Lord.

I will put my laws in their hearts, and I will write them on their minds"

Then he adds:

"Their sins and lawless acts I will remember no more."

And where these have been forgiven, there is on longer any sacrifice for sin.

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Daddy, thank You so much... that You had given us Your only Son, Jesus Christ...

His precious blood, has washed away our sins, and made us become holy... I am no longer with sins but completely clean before You... Daddy, I thank Jesus that pay all the consequences for me... I just can't imagine what could it be if I need bull's or goat's blood to remind myself what had i did...

Daddy, You are so wonderful, that I have no word to describe about your mercy and greatest love... with strength given from You, I will make sure that I am clean and Holy... and always be a blessing for everyone around me... Daddy, I love You...

Lingering Damage

The sword shall never depart from your house, because you have despised Me, and have taken the wife of Uriah the Hittite. - 2 Samuel 12:10

A young teen who was constantly getting into trouble always apologized when his parents confronted him. No matter how much he hurt his parents with his previous wrong-doing, he would soon turn around and d something else wrong - knowing he would be forgiven.

Finally, his dad took him out to the garage for a talk. Dad picked up a hammer and pounded a nail into the garage wall. Then he gave his son the hammer and told him to pull out the nail.

The boy shrugged, grabbed the hammer, and yanked out the nail.

"That's like forgiveness, Son. When you do something wrong, it's like pounding in a nail. Forgiveness is when you pull the nail out."

"Okay, I get it," said the boy.

"Now take the hammer and pull out the nail hole," his dad replied.

"That's impossible!" the boy said. "I can't pull it out."

As this story illustrates and King David's life proves, sin carries consequences. Even though David was forgiven, his adultery and murder left scars and led to family problems. This sobering truth can serve as a warning for our lives. The best way to avoid the lingering damage of sin is to live a life of obedience to God.

A Prayer: Thank You for being slow to anger and filled with compassion. May I not presume upon Your mercy by assuming there will be no consequences for my sin. Help me to confess and then to sin no more. Amen.

Our sins can be forgiven and washed away, but their consequences are ours to pay.

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2 Samuel 12:1-14

The LORD sent Nathan to David. When he came to him, he said, "There were two men in a certain town, one rich and the other poor. The rich man had a very large number of sheep and cattle, but the poor man had nothing except one little ewe lamb he had bought. He raised it, and it grew up with him and his children. It shared his food, drank from his cup and even slept in his arms. It was like a daughter to him.

"Now a traveler came to the rich man, but the rich man refrained from taking one of his own sheep or cattle to prepare a meal for the traveler who had come to him. Instead, he took the ewe lamb that belonged to the poor man and prepared it for the one who had come to him."

David burned with anger against the man and said to Nathan, "As surely as the LORD lives, the man who did this deserves to die! He must pay for that lamb four times over, because he did such a thing and had no pity."

Then Nathan said to David, "You are the man! This is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: 'I anointed you king over Israel, and I delivered you from the hand of Saul. I gave your master's house to you, and your master's wives into your arms. I gave you the house of Israel and Judah. And if all this had been too little, I would have given you even more. Why did you despise the word of the LORD by doing what is evil in his eyes? You struck down Uriah the Hittite with the sword and took his wife to be your own. You killed him with the sword of the Ammonites. Now, therefore, the sword will never depart from your house, because you despised me and took the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be your own.'

"This is what the LORD says: 'Out of your own household I am going to bring calamity upon you. Before your very eyes I will take your wives and give them to one who is close to you, and he will lie with your wives in broad daylight. You did it in secret, but I will do this thing in broad daylight before all Israel.'"

Then David said to Nathan, "I have sinned against the LORD."

Nathan replied, "The LORD has taken away your sin. You are not going to die. But because by doing this you have made the enemies of the LORD show utter contempt, the son born to you will die."

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Father in heaven, I have sinned against You... please forgive me... I would like to be a blessing to anyone else... Please, don't hurt anyone of them because of me... Lord, here is my prayer...

I swear, that I will not commit in any adultery anymore, before marriage... Lord, but, please help me go through all these... I had over the boundaries, please wash away my sins... that I could serve you better with holiness in me...

Holy Spirit, please do remind me all the time... as a blessing but not a curse...

Everyone come to this world as a straighten wire...

However, because of sin, we all curved, benched...

No matter how much effort we do, still, there is marks, showing that it wasn't straight... wasn't perfect...

With Jesus' precious blood, here we are being washed clean, have the record of holy before you...

Father Lord, Please, help me go through all these, with strength given by You alone...

Truth Or Error?

Be diligent to present yourself approved to God. - 2 Timothy 2:15

Steve often witnesses to his co-workers. But when he mentions something directly from the Bible, someone frequently respond: "Wait! That was written by men, and it's full of errors just like any other book."

The following letter to the editor in our local newspaper expresses a similar thought: "Believers cite that the Word of God is infallible, but I see no apparent reason to believe that the words written in the Bible by man are any more infallible than the words written in a science journal by man."

How do we respond when the Scriptures are so readily dismissed as being just man's words with errors? Most of us aren't biblical scholars and may not have an answer. But if we do some reading, we'll find the evidence that it's God-inspired and therefore trustworthy.

For example, consider this: Over a period of 1,600 years, 40 different authors wrote the 66 books of the Bible. There were 400 silent years between the 39 books of the Old Testament and the 27 of the New Testament. Yet, Genesis to Revelation tell one unified story.

While we accept the Bible by faith, there's plenty of evidence that it's true. Let's be diligent to study and share what we learn with others.

In a skeptical world you can trust God's reliable Word.

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2 Timothy 3:14-17

But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have become convinced of, because you know those from whom you learned it, and how from infancy you have known the holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus.

All Scriptures is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.

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If the Word of God is still not reliable, what else?

Emergency Kit

Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. - Ephesians 6:13

For a dozen years, I took an auto emergency kit on every long driving trip but never had to use it. It became such a familiar item that on the night we really needed it, I forgot it was there. But fortunately my wife remembered.

After hitting a deer on a dark rural highway, our van was completely disabled. While I fumbled with a small flashlight to assess the damage and call a tow truck, my wife opened the emergency kit, set out a reflective warning marker, then turned on the bright flashlight, much to my surprise. Later we talked about how a crisis cause us to forget the resources we have, just when we need them most.

Paul urged the Ephesians to "put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil". This protective covering includes truth, righteousness, readiness, faith, salvation, and prayer. Although these spiritual resources guard us each day, we need to remember them when disaster strikes and the enemy tries to undermine our confidence in God's love and care.

Use the kit. "Take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand".

When Satan launches his attack,

We must take heart and pray;

If we submit ourselves to God,

He'll be our strength and stay. - Sper

God provides the armor, but we must put it on.

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Ephesians 6:10-18

Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.

Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth bucked around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.

And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints.

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Always be ready and be still, know that He is God...

No matter what, He is still there, ready for us... get self ready all the time, and defeat when attacks come... He is our refuge and greatest support... fight against the powers in this dark world, is not only on our own, but also Him as the General...

A Lock of Hair

The Lord... (shows) Himself strong on behalf of those whose heart is loyal to Him - 2 Chronicles 16:9

After his return from the moon, Neil Armstrong was often plagued by the media. Seeking greater privacy, he moved his family into a small town. But notoriety was a nuisance even there. Armstrong's barber found out that people would pay good money to get a lock of his hair. So after giving the space hero several haircuts, he sold the clippings to a buyer for $3,000! Armstrong was shocked at the barber's opportunism.

The Scriptures tell of another story of disloyalty and a haircut. As a symbol of God's calling of Samson as a Nazirite, he was never to cut his hair. When the Spirit of God came upon him, he was given super-human strength over his enemies. Wanting to overpower him, the Philistines hired Delilah, a woman who had a relationship with him, to find out the secret of that strength. He foolishly told her that his power would be gone if his hair were cut. She lulled him to sleep and had him shorn.

Greed can drive us to be disloyal to others and to God, causing us to make sinful choices. Our desire should be to exhibit a heart that is fully committed to love the Lord and others. He shows "Himself strong on behalf of those whose heart is loyal to Him".

O Lord, may my heart be loyal to You

In all that I say and all that I do;

When a trusted person is not a true friend,

I know that on you I can always depend. - Hess

Loyalty is the test of true love...

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Judges 16:4-17

Some time later, he fell in love with a woman in the Valley of Sorek whose name was Delilah. The rulers of the Philistines went to her and said, "See if you can lure him into showing you the secret of his great strength and how we can overpower him so we may tie him up and subdue him. Each one of us will give you eleven hundred shekels of silver."

So Delilah said to Samson, "Tell me the secret of your great strength and how you can be tied up and subdued." Samson answered her, "If anyone ties me with seven fresh thongs that have not been dried, I'll become as weak as any other man."

Then the rulers of the Philistine brought her seven fresh thongs that had not been dried, and she tied him with them. With men hidden in the room, she called to him, "Samson, the Philistine are upon you!" But he snapped the thongs as easily as a piece of string snaps when it comes close to a flame. So the secret of his strength was not discovered.

Then Delilah said to Samson, "You have made a fool of me; you lied to me. Come now, tell me how you can be tied." He said, "If anyone ties me securely with new ropes that have never been used, I'll become as weak as any other man."

So Delilah took new ropes and tied him with them. Then with men hidden in the room, she called to him, "Samson, the Philistine are upon you!" But he snapped the ropes off his arms as if they were threads.

Delilah then said to Samson, "Until now, you have been making a fool of me and lying to me. Tell me how you can be tied." He replied, "If you weave the seven braids of my head into the fabric on the loom and tighten it with the pin, I'll become as weak as any other man."

So while he was sleeping, Delilah took the seven braids of his head, wove them into the fabric and tightened it with the pin.

Again she called to him, "Samson, the Philistines are upon you!" He awoke from his sleep and pulled up the pin and the loom, with the fabric.

Then she said to him, "How can you say, 'I love you,' when you won't confide in me? This is the third time you have made a fool of me and haven't told me the secret of your great strength." With such nagging she prodded him day after day until he was tired to death.

So he told her everything. "No razor has ever been used on my head," he said, "because I have been a Nazirite set apart to God since birth. If my head were shaved, my strength would leave me, and I would become as weak as any other man."