John 13:10

The one who has bathed does not need to wash, except for his feet, but is completely clean. And you are clean…

“CLEANED BY JESUS’ SACRIFICE”

Preachers don’t create the message but deliver it. The task of being a pastor and human is like being a shepherd and a sheep at the same time. There have been days of not even feeling like a Christian, let alone a pastor. It is at those times we must remember that we live by faith in what Jesus has done, and not by our feelings. The sermon was always scheduled for Sunday morning no matter how I felt. That is when we must get out of the way and be ready to be used of God. In the words of John the Baptist, “Jesus must increase, and we must decrease.”

Every time I climb a ladder there is a warning on it that bothers me. It is the weight limit. The truth is for every person that our sins exceed the weight limit for any ladder that we think will get us out of the pit that we are in. “All have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.” We would be hopeless, except for one wonderful truth. It is Jesus who reaches down to lift us up.

Do Christians live sinless lives? Not at all; but sin is no longer our way of life. Jesus taught us to pray each day, “Forgive us out trespasses…” It is something like washing the beach sand off at the outdoor shower. It is likely that your feet will need cleaning again before you enter the room.

When Jesus was washing the disciple’s feet, he said, “The one who has bathed does not need to wash, except for his feet, but is completely clean. And you are clean…” (John 13:10). Every Christian has been made clean by the sacrifice of Christ. We still walk in a sinful world, and it gets on our feet and lives. Humbly we bow before our Savior again and again with a simple prayer, “Dear Lord, forgive.”

“Forgiven, forgiven, forgiven again.
If you’ve broken the trust
And betrayed your best friend,
If you’re lost and confused
Wondering where it will end.
There’s a way you can know that
Wherever you’ve been,
You can make your way home
And be forgiven again.”

Grace and Peace, Rev Ray