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Christian Devotion - "Dirty Clothes"

A Christian devotion that uses everyday objects and events will stay with you throughout your day!  Everyday laundry can help us take a sincere look at if it's time to wash the spiritual clothes we are wearing.

Christian devotion - Meditate

You can smell it from across the room even while they continue to play…pretending it’s really not there. The smell gives it away though; it’s the notorious “dirty diaper!”

In the past few years, our oldest daughter has fostered a couple of children going through the potty training stage. This has brought back memories of the challenges that come along with it, which we experienced with our own four!

At the potty training stage children are beginning to realize when their diapers are dirty. It usually becomes obvious to all when the diaper is drooping with weight or more often it’s the smell that draws attention! Pee-yewwwww! Not much smells worse than a dirty diaper! But how many toddlers have you seen that deny they have a dirty diaper and do not want it to be changed?

Paul gives us an object lesson on sin and right living with clothing:

Romans 13:12-14 - “The night is almost gone: the day of salvation will soon be here; so remove your dark deeds like dirty clothes, and put on the shining armor of right living. Because we belong to the day, we must live decent lives for all to see. Don’t participate in the darkness of wild parities and drunkenness, or in sexual promiscuity and immoral living, or in quarreling and jealousy. Instead, clothe yourself with the presence of the Lord Jesus Christ. and don’t let yourself think about ways to indulge your evil desires.” 

Jesus Himself spoke of our good deeds as shining before others.  Although we are not saved by our good works, what we do and say does matter.

Matthew 5:16  - "In the same way, let your good deeds shine out for all to see, so that everyone will praise your heavenly Father.”   

As adults we wouldn’t even consider wearing dirty, stinky clothing unless we had no choice, but how often are we like these toddlers denying we may be wearing “dark deeds,” or rather sin, as dirty clothes trying to hide it and deny it? How often do I deny there is anything dirty about the way I am living even when it may be obvious to others and certainly obvious to my Heavenly Father? The good news is we do have a choice; there is hope - clean clothes are available!

In these verses, Paul compares things like drunkenness, immoral living, and even jealousy to dirty clothing; any sin could be added to this list. He points out we have a better option though! We can choose to put on “the presence of the Lord Jesus Christ.”

God offers us forgiveness. John tells us, “If we confess our sins, He (God) is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” (1 John 1:9)  God is our loving, caring Father and wants to bring freshness and cleansing to our life.  He is willing to change our dirty diapers!

When we accept Christ as our Lord and Savior, God cleanses us and forgives us. It’s like we take a bath; we become totally clean. The night of the Last Supper, Jesus told Peter in John 13:10 – “A person who has bathed all over does not need to wash, except for the feet, to be entirely clean.”

As believers in Christ, we are saved from sin and the spiritual death it brings; however, we still daily live and walk around in this world of sin. Our spiritual clothing can become dirty, our attitudes unChristlike, our words tainted with unkindness, our actions stained with wrong motives, our thoughts dusty with selfishness.  Have we allowed the sin of the world to cling to us?  Are we wearing the dirty clothes of dark, hidden deeds? If so, let’s take them off (confess this to God) and put on the shining armor of right living (turn back to Him).


Christian Devotion - Scripture

Romans 13:12-14 - “The night is almost gone: the day of salvation will soon be here; so remove your dark deeds like dirty clothes, and put on the shining armor of right living. Because we belong to the day, we must live decent lives for all to see. Don’t participate in the darkness of wild parities and drunkenness, or in sexual promiscuity and immoral living, or in quarreling and jealousy. Instead, clothe yourself with the presence of the Lord Jesus Christ. and don’t let yourself think about ways to indulge your evil desires.” 

Matthew 5:16  - "In the same way, let your good deeds shine out for all to see, so that everyone will praise your heavenly Father.”   

Christian Devotion - Activate: 

Let's allow this Christian devotion with the concept of spiritual clothing to come back to our mind any time we change our clothes this week - taking off the dirty and putting on the clean. May the Holy Spirit bring to our minds the dark deeds we may be wearing such as bitterness, jealousy, gossip, discouraging words, anything that doesn't display the Light of Christ. Remember, we have the presence of our Lord Jesus Christ ready for our wearing!


© Copyright 2018 Susan Smart


Another Object Lesson Christian devotion

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