12 Days of Thanksliving: Cleansing

Thanksliving: cleansingDay 2:

Cleansing

“These men called together their fellow Levites, and they all purified themselves. Then they began to cleanse the temple of the Lord, just as the king had commanded. … The priests went into the sanctuary of the Temple of the Lord to cleanse it, and they took out to the Temple courtyard all the defiled things they found.” 2 Chronicles 29:15-16

cleansing [klenz] verb

  1. to make clean
  2.  to remove by or as if by cleaning “to cleanse from the soul.

Thanksliving: Cleansing

Being clean is something that many of us take for granted. Running water and soap make it relatively easy to wash away dirt. It doesn’t take too many days of camping, however, before we have a new appreciation for a hot shower and a dishwasher. A few years ago my son went on a fundraising hike across America to raise money for the burn unit of a local children’s hospital. As he backpacked his way from California to Florida, he often went several days without a shower or being able to wash the few clothes he had. Dirt was a fact of life, and as his mom I was dismayed at what became acceptable standards of “cleanliness” to him.

A clean body can help protect us from disease and discomfort. A clean home makes for a healthy environment for family and friends. Likewise, regularly confessing our sin keeps our hearts clean before God. Jesus is the One who purifies us permanently from our sin by taking that punishment upon Himself. Being thankful for His sacrifice is a wonderful way to celebrate Thanksgiving.

Pray for Thanksliving cleansing.

After the fall of man due to sin, God instituted many rules that the people had to follow to purify themselves from defilement and sin. In today’s verses, King Hezekiah of Judah purges the nation from idolatry and reintroduces the people to true worship. As you can see, this begins with a major cleanup of the people and The Temple of the Lord, as per Old Testament rules. Today please take a moment and give thanks to God for the cleansing He provided for us through the cross and the blood of Christ.

Just as Hezekiah purged the Temple of the Lord from the idols that the people had brought in, we may have to get serious about our temples. In 1 Corintians 6:19, God tells us that our bodies are the temple of the Holy Spirit and that we are not our own. Jesus bought us for a very expensive price — His own life. Keeping that in mind, we may need to throw out some junk to make room for the holiness God desires.

  1.  Pray and ask God to show you if there is a habit or pattern of sin in your life that needs to go.
  2. Find a verse of scripture that pertains to this struggle and begin praying it into your life.
  3. Thank God for how He is already at work cleaning up and redeeming this area of your life.

More Thanksliving: Cleansing

If you’d like to explore this theme further, please read  The Cleansing of My Temple.

Comment

Please leave a comment below in the Speak Your Mind section on what God teaches you today about cleansing.

Previous Links

“cleansing.” Dictionary.com Unabridged. Random House, Inc. 16 Nov. 2014. <Dictionary.com http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/cleansing>.



The 12 Days of Thanks Giving: Day 1

Pump OBP Header 12Light

“And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it.” John 1:5

 

 

 light1 [lahyt] noun 

1. the medium of illumination that makes sight possible
2. mental understanding or spiritual insight
3. the radiance or illumination from a particular source:
4. a person who is an outstanding leader, celebrity, or example; luminary:
.
Let there be light. God’s first act of creation was to create light. This makes sense as God is the Father of Light, and in Him there is no darkness at all. Despite our modern age and technologically advanced society, an estimated 1.5 billion people in the world today live without electric light. When was the last time we gave thanks for the light we easily access with the flip of a switch?
Light helps us see where we are walking, avoid danger, create, work, play, and read. Without light there would be no life. How can we be so careless of something  so essential? We are never more thankful for something than when we’ve had to do without it for a while. Remember the last power outage at your house? This Thanks Giving let’s give thanks to the Father of Lights.
.

 Pray for light.

  1.  Do you have any dark areas in your life? Since darkness cannot exist in the presence of light, find a Bible verse that applies to a current area of challenge or temptation  and pray the light of God’s Word into your trial.
  2. Pray for God’s light to shine on the next step for your life, and the lives of your loved ones.
  3. Pray for the lost of the world to accept the Light of the World.

 

More Light

Do you want to go a little deeper in your study of light? Click on the link below.

Walking in Love, Light, and Wisdom.

 

Comment

Please leave a comment below in the Speak Your Mind section on what God teaches you today about light.

light. Dictionary.com. Dictionary.com Unabridged. Random House, Inc. http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/light (accessed: November 12, 2014).