![]() My prayer is from Psalm 51:10 “Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me!” Clean hands. ![]() He finds pleasure in His kids when they desire to please Him. Notice that just like Psalm 24 there is reference to both clean hands and a pure heart as preparation for drawing near to God, or ascending the hill of the Lord. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you men of double mind. We get to sit at the “adult” table where the benefits are so many. Draw near to God and he will draw near to you. We do our best to keep our hands and hearts pure and clean, because the rewards for being God’s good kids are so great. Those are the hands and hearts who know better than to allow the stains and dirtiness of the world – lying, dishonesty, cheating, envying, complaining, and deceiving – to “mess up” our relationship with God. Of course all those ways help our physical and mental thoughts, but when we let God use His super-powerful cleaning system do the work in us, then we’ll show up with those “clean hands and pure hearts”.Ĭlean hands and pure hearts. How can we clean up our hearts? There are many ways: medications, self-help books, therapy, counseling, and mental affirmations. Psalm 24:3, 4 says “Who may climb the mountain of the Lord and enter where He lives? Who may stand before the Lord? ONLY THOSE WITH CLEAN HANDS AND PURE HEARTS, who do not practice dishonesty and lying.”Ĭlean hands. But, really – I’m not talking about those little dirty hands. And, many of us carry little bottles of hand sanitizer. Today, even grocery or big box stores, provide antibacterial wipes to clean off that grocery cart before you use it. We do pretty well with keeping our hands clean. Now, that we’re all grown up - we know better. It took some repetitive correcting and maturing for them to finally learn to use a napkin or washcloth to wipe away the evidence. Those were the times when those little ones had no idea of what those little finger prints could do. Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God. Truly God is good to Israel, to those who are pure in heart. They were placed there by some little person that we loved. He delivers even the one who is not innocent, who will be delivered through the cleanness of your hands. Little chocolate, play dough or muddy hands had left their imprint. No sooner do we get those glass doors cleaned, than a little one comes along and puts his hands all over the door again. In Jesus, Amen.We’ve all found little finger prints on our glass doors or windows or walls. Your grace and love are the soap we need. “Clean hands and a pure heart,” Lord-that is what we pray for today. When was the last time you checked to see if your hands were clean? Being willing to acknowledge the dirt on our hands and feet is the first step in becoming his disciples. ![]() He showed his skill with a bowl of water and a towel as he washed his disciples’ dirty feet (John 13). What dirty objects are we clasping in our hands, holding onto for dear life, as if they have the power to be our God? Perhaps that’s because God knows how easily we can deceive ourselves about what we truly worship or about where we actually place our trust. Such people do not “trust in an idol or swear by a false god.” Being dishonest or deceitful is something God hates. Psalm 24 asks, “Who is worthy to stand in the holy presence of God?” The answer: Only those who have “clean hands and a pure heart.” What does the psalmist mean by that? It offered everyone an opportunity to reflect about who God is in comparison to us, and to be reminded to humble oneself in God’s presence. ![]() In ancient times a bowl of water was placed at the entrance of the place of worship so that everyone who came to worship the Lord could wash their hands before coming inside.
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