I like to take broken things apart. Sometimes I am not so successful in putting them together again. But sometimes, with a few extra parts, I get a broken machine running again. It’s very rewarding.

Usually, my hands and the rest of me are pitch black from the old oil and grease accumulated on the machine over the years. It certainly is no easy task to get me clean again, just ask my wife.

I’ve tried many different products. Expensive products and cheap products. Some had grains of sand in them and others made my hands smell like paraffin for days. But here’s some good advice if you end up with pitch black hands one day.

Ordinary Sunlight Liquid does the job in no time. I pour a little more than my wife would’ve liked on my hands and make sure all the black stuff is covered. Then all the dirt comes off when washed with clean water. Then you take a clean dry cloth to wipe off the stickiness of the soap.

Some products just work well. Again, and again.

We all also have another kind of dirt – the wrong things we do. Yes, we know Jesus died as punishment of our sins and we no longer have to bear the consequences of our wrong actions. Thank God for that!

However, this doesn’t mean that we can just keep on living with dirt in our lives. No, we have to do something to wash it out. And we need the right product to do that.

Like Sunlight Liquid cleans our black hands obedience to the truth cleans our lives. When we make sure that the truth is part of our foundation, it will be easier not to be contaminated by dirt.

²²Now that you’ve cleaned up your lives by following the truth …

The truth, of course, is the Bible. The Bible teaches us very well about the do’s and the don’ts. The Word shows us exactly what we must do and what we mustn’t do. There really is no excuse for not knowing when we’re on the road and when we’re off the road.

Yet, God knew we would struggle with this. Therefore, apart from His Word, He also gave us a Helper. The Holy Spirit has been appointed to help us understand God’s Word, so that we can know how we should live.

We were born in sin. We know our default is to go off track, and the things we want to do make us dirty. We must actively start getting rid of the dirt. We need to make plans; we need to get cleaning supplies.

Therefore, we must go to the Word of God. Study it constantly, daily, and allow the Holy Spirit to speak into our hearts to get rid of the garbage. Then we will stand clean before God being able to do His will here on earth.

Scripture
1 Peter 1:22-25

Reflection
Where is there still garbage in your life?
Do you read enough in God’s Word to see where you are going off track?
Do you hear the Holy Spirit’s directions?

Prayer
Father, I know I still have a lot of garbage in my life. I would like to be clean. Please make me willing to read Your Word and listen to Your Spirit’s directions. I ask this in the name of Jesus, who took the punishment for my sins upon Himself. Amen.