Clean


In John 13 Jesus takes on the role of a servant and starts to wash the feet of the disciples. Peter resists at first as he sees the situation in the natural where it is the student or the disciple who serves the teacher or master and not the other way around. Then Jesus responds to him and explains the situation. Peter's response was then to ask Jesus to wash not only his feet, but his head and his hands as well. 

I know how Peter feels. Too many times I go through my day seeing the natural and responding accordingly. This approach always leads to a general sense of confusion, anxiety, and I think some sense of lostness or un-cleanness. If we continue this way long enough, it becomes our new normal. We start defining life around our own limited self perceptions. Then when Jesus wants to clean some area of our life, we think that's unnecessary because we're fine. I think Peter's heart was tender towards the Lord. His love for Jesus was genuine and sincere. Jesus' explanation of this act of service fanned that love into a flame once again. 

So bring this story into your own life. The Holy Spirit has come as our helper, our comforter. He brings conviction and the opportunity for examination and says we have no part in the life of Jesus Christ if we resist. Will we allow our heart to be open and drawn to Jesus? Will we allow him to create in us a clean heart and a right spirit once again? The Holy Spirit stirs up a desire is us to be clean, to be right before the Lord, to bring our life, our words, thoughts, and actions into order and right alignment with Jesus. Our response should be like Peter's presenting our whole self to be cleaned. Let the Holy Spirit do his work, cleaning whatever area of your life however and whenever he needs to. We don't need to always understand it all, just surrender the what Jesus wants to do.

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