Funny Friday: Wash your hands you sinners
Wash your hands people! My niece drew this in honor of the season. 🙂
“…Wash your hands, you sinners…” James 4:8 (NLT)
Funny Friday: Wash your hands you sinners
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Tag Archives: unclean
“Test Me”…Caution: Invites Harsh Conditions
“Test Me”…Caution: Invites Harsh Conditions
“Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. Point out anything in me that offends you, and lead me along the path of everlasting life.” Psalm 139:23-24
I’ve mentioned before that it’s a good practice to start your quiet times or Bible reading times with these verses in Psalms as a prayer:
“Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. Point out anything in me that offends you, and lead me along the path of everlasting life.” Psalm 139:23-24
It’s a great way to do a regular heart check and listen for God to reveal anything to us that we might need to work on. I actually have these verses written inside the cover of my journals as a daily opening prayer. First, I’ll pray these verses. Then, I’ll try to sit quietly and just listen and pay attention to anything that comes to mind. If something does, I’ll confess it right then and repent, asking God to basically clean me up!
“Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me.” Psalm 51:10 (ESV)
Recently I saw Psalm 139:23-24 from a different perspective and realized that there might be a little more to this request than just sitting and listening for God to show me areas that need some work or improvement.
“Test”: Hebrew (H974) בָּחַן bâchan
A couple of weeks ago as I was going through this process of saying the verses, the words “test me” stood out to me. That’s usually a prompt for me to dig in a little deeper. So I did! I looked up the Hebrew word for “test” used here in this verse.
“test”: Hebrew (H974) בָּחַן bâchan
The Hebrew definition stated that it means to try, improve, examine, scrutinize, tempt, try/trial, to investigate, or to test (especially metals). Then the part about testing metals stood out to me. Immediately an analogy came to mind.
We like to watch the show “Forged in Fire” on the History Channel where they make weapons, typically knives and swords, out of metal. Throughout the show, which is a competition, they test the weapons (and therefore the metal). This testing phase is to see how the weapons hold up, to see where weaknesses or imperfections are, and to make sure the weapons can withstand use in battle.
Therefore, when I am praying Psalm 139:23-24 not only am I asking got to point out things in me that He doesn’t like, I’m also asking Him to test me like the metal of those weapons on “Forged in Fire” to find any flaws, weaknesses, and imperfections. These are things that may hinder me later which can cause me not to be able to fight any physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual battles properly. Additionally, weaknesses or flaws could potentially cause me to “break” if not identified and dealt with.
The “test me” phase
Are You Flowing or Stagnant?
Are You Flowing or Stagnant?
We’ve had an insane amount of water lately due to all the rain in our area. Unfortunately, heavy rains and debris caused our culvert at the end of our drive to get clogged. Subsequently, this caused water to back up and become stagnant in a ditch/creek bed in our yard. After a while, the stagnant water started to smell and accumulate algae, mosquitos, and even a moderately-sized alligator snapping turtle. We could see that it was going to be a major problem if we didn’t get the water flowing again soon.
Looking back through my old journal entries, I saw a page where I that I had labeled “Flowing not Stagnant” at the top. On the page I had written myself a note of how I should be like a river of living water flowing and not stagnant, stale, or still. I had then listed some of the problems with stagnant water.
Thinking back, I remember that when I wrote that I was kind of in a state of sitting around and not doing much spiritually…not a lot of growth, not a lot forward motion or of stepping out of my current comfort zone. Honestly, I was in a place of sitting still, stewing, and complaining. I was starting to get kind of nasty and gross, a lot like stagnant water. I felt that God was impressing upon me that I needed to get moving and stop sitting spiritually idle.
Stagnant water, stagnant spirituality, and the effects
Is it Time to do Some Spiritual Plumbing?
Is it Time to do Some Spiritual Plumbing?
Something very gross, yet insightful happened at our house this past week. Something having to do with a sewer backup. Now before you get completely disgusted and click elsewhere, bear with me because I promise you I found some spiritual relevance and life lessons amongst the muck. I know…leave it to me to find an analogy in something so revolting. However, maybe it took something so despicable to open my eyes to some of my own undesirable behaviors and attitudes…my own need for some spiritual plumbing! 😉
A sickening experience
Our house sits on a very wooded piece of property. I love my trees, but there are a few disadvantages. One of those drawbacks is tree roots finding their way into our sewer lines on occasion. Unfortunately, that was the case this past week. We noticed the line was starting to back up…I will spare you the details.
You’re welcome.
As Eric and I went outside to the drain cleanout location, we knew that tree roots invading the line were the likely culprit because we’ve dealt with this before. Eric removed the cap to the drain cleanout. As soon as he did a gush of putrid filth emerged up and out onto the ground (and nearly on us). Needless to say, I quickly got sick to my stomach and had to fight my gag reflex. Again, I will spare you the gory details. Ultimately, we located the blockage, which was indeed roots, and we were able to clear the line and cut out the roots with a drain auger.
I was in need of some plumbing help too…some spiritual plumbing
Spiritual Laundry
Spiritual Laundry
Recently, I’ve been reading through a reading plan on my Bible app, called “21 Days in the Gospel of John with Levi Lusko”. One of my latest readings was titled “Clean Often”[1]. A couple of things stood out to me and spoke to me from the day’s reading. The overall message was about cleaning our lives up. I took notes in my journal and labeled my notes for the day “Spiritual Laundry”.
Fish analogy
My first takeaway from the devotion was about how God meets us where we are. God doesn’t need us to get cleaned up before we come to Him. Salvation does that for us. This was not a new concept for me. I’ve heard it and even said it myself before. What was new, however, was the analogy that Pastor Lusko used. If you know me, you know I love analogies!
He said, “…God cleans His fish after He catches them.” 🙂 I love this! It’s an especially fun and fitting analogy considering Jesus calls his disciples (and us) to be fishers of men.
“His partners, James and John, the sons of Zebedee, were also amazed. Jesus replied to Simon, “Don’t be afraid! From now on you’ll be fishing for people!” Luke 5:10 (NLT)
Spiritual laundry–God is the laundromat or the dry cleaner
Funny Friday: Messy Kid Problems
Funny Friday: Messy Kid Problems
A friend and I were talking the other day about our messy kid problems. I started digging through some old photos to show her just how bad my messy kid problems got at one point. So…I was cleaning out my daughter’s closet one time, and when I finally got to the bottom I noticed this little T-Rex dinosaur fossil toy. Just as I was reaching down to pick it up I remembered, “Wait…She doesn’t have a T-Rex toy!?!?”
Yep…it was a dead mouse. Totally decomposed already. Things LITERALLY DIE in her room!!
“These also shall be unclean unto you among the creeping things that creep upon the earth…the mouse…” Leviticus 11:29 (KJV)
Funny Friday: Unclean
Funny Friday: Unclean
We were recently sitting in a waiting room at the hospital. My brother was concerned that his drink might get germs. I think he was afraid it might become unclean…so I gave it a mask. 🙂
“Anything that an unclean person touches becomes unclean, and anyone who touches it becomes unclean till evening.” Numbers 19:22 (NIV)
“Any edible food coming into contact with that unclean water will become unclean, and any drinkable liquid in any container will become unclean.” Leviticus 11:34 (HCSB)
Funny Friday: Dropped Call
Funny Friday: Dropped Call
This gives new meaning to “dropped call”!
Apparently the owner of this phone hasn’t learned the very important life lesson of NOT putting your cell phone in your back pocket when using the toilet. They also either didn’t know they dropped it (unlikely) OR they decided it just wasn’t worth it to try and retrieve it out of this public toilet (probably a good choice). 🙂
“Likewise, whoever touches them shall be unclean and shall wash his clothes and bathe in water and be unclean until evening.” Leviticus 15:27 (NASB)