Well almost.
We have this sandstone rock outside our door that looks its age. A quick glance tells it has seen the hard knocks of outdoor living—dirt and dust abound. Along with years of rain, snow, and sleet to ingrain itself into the porous stone— manufacturing mold.
Yuck, what is even more disgusting is we breathe that stuff in. So much for going outside to catch a breath of fresh air, right? Thank goodness it does not seep into our pores for a permanent residence.
As I scrubbed away at the mold, the appearance looked a little better. But I could not help thinking the human race has much in common with the stone. Not the mold, but how the places we gravitate to can unintentionally permeate our life.
The cheaters in the classroom, the office staff that five-finger lifts supplies for personal use at home. Some young moms we encounter at the grocery store give their little ones a fruit to eat as they shop. It keeps them occupied and quiet and we think nothing of it. But its ingested food never paid for. Not true. We shoppers, all of us, pay for it.
It’s just not right. The Good Book calls the things not right as sin. It may sound harsh, but wrong-doing can easily sink into our minds and hearts if we are not alert to it. That is why Ezekiel, a priest back in the Old Testament, got a word from Jesus about it that he shares with us today.
“And I will give you a new heart, and I will put a new spirit in you. I will take out your stony, stubborn heart and give you a tender, responsive heart. And I will put my Spirit in you so that you will follow my decrees and be careful to obey my regulations.” Ezekiel 36:26 &27
What a relief that to know that Jesus can scrub the things we may not even recognize as sin and make us clean. Or should I say cleaner. Like my stone, it still bares marks, but is improved. Living this side of heaven, we may bare a few marks too, but our words and actions will definitely be an improvement.
One Day Wonders with JBK 