12 Days of ThanksLiving, Day 2: Cleansing

Day 2: Cleansing

ThanksLiving: living a thankful life

“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

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

Being clean is something that many of us take for granted. I am very thankful for running water and soap that make it relatively easy to wash away dirt. 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 washing 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.

Thanksliving and cleansing

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 cleansing

Just as Hezekiah cleansed the Temple of the Lord from the idols that the people had brought in, we must get serious about cleansing our temples. In 1 Corinthians 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.

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

If we are truly ThanksLiving, living a thankful life, we will thank God for the cleansing He provides through the cross and the blood of Christ.

More cleansing

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

Comment

Please leave a comment below on what God is teaching you about cleansing. We’d love to hear from you!

Previous Links

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