Wednesday's Devotion: A Lesson from Mud-Wrestling

Mark 14:38 (NLT)  “Keep watch and pray, so that you will not give in to temptation. For the spirit is willing, but the body is weak.”

 A conversation with a friend about men still having a lot of “boy” in them reminded me of a friend's little boys. One day Susannah looked out her kitchen window to check on her boys who were playing in the back yard and found that they had used the hose to create a large mud puddle.  They had taken off their shirts and were mud wrestling.  Susannah was not about to let them track mud into the house, so she stood them on the deck and hosed the mud off of them. Jeffery and Will squirmed and yelped as the cold water hit them, but soon they were clean enough to be dried off and allowed inside.  As she related this to me, it brought to mind a line from an old hymn, “What can wash away my sin?  Nothing but the blood of Jesus.”

We may not wallow in sin, like the boys were wallowing in the mud, but we often brush up against it. I often define sin as anything that separates us from God or harms us or others.  Thanks be to God, that because Jesus Christ shed His blood on the cross for us, we may be cleansed of our sin.  When we accept the fact that Christ did this for us, we can then say to God, “I’ve messed up, Lord.  Please forgive me and help me to be what you would have me to be.”  Sometimes this cleansing process can be painful as we let go of old habits. However, there is a price to pay in order to enter into His kingdom.  This kingdom is here and now.  We become a part of it, and it becomes a part of us when we accept Christ as our Lord and Savior.  The rewards are both immediate and eternal.  Where have you brushed up against sin recently?  Are you asking God for forgiveness and guidance on a regular basis?  Are you seeking to grow in your faith?   If you need help with any of this, my door is always open to you.

Gracious God, We ask that you help us through the Holy Spirit to overcome temptations that would hurt us or others. Give us wisdom and discernment as we make choices in our lives so that we may lead lives of love, health and happiness.  In Jesus name we pray. Amen.