I definitely know more dramatic people then little ol’ me! But I suppose a little drama seeps out from me every now and then! The other day as I begrudgingly hauled a basket of dirty laundry over to my mother-in-law’s house, because my washer was down (again!), a fairly dramatic statement came out of my brain!
“I live and die by the washer!”
Whoa! Live and die! Really? I must admit laundry can pile up into mountains if I’m behind just for two days. And when that happens, Momma ain’t happy! But live and die, huh? Dramatic much?
It made me reflect on the Washer. I know He is not named exactly that in the Bible, but that is what He is!
When His closest friends were all gathered together for a special supper, the Washer put on a little apron and began washing their nasty feet. Something a paid servant wouldn’t even do. Now I have three boys and I know nasty feet when I see them! I must admit, I’m glad they are now old enough to wash those stinky feet themselves! But the Washer was doing more then just removing the dirt from dirty feet. He was washing their souls to become humble servants. He was washing away their wrong ideas of who is first and who is last.
He is a smart, effective and thorough Washer. He doesn’t always use soap and water on us. “For He will be like a refiner’s fire, or a launderer’s soap…he will sit as a refiner…and will purify the Levites and refine them like gold and silver.” (Malachi 3:2-3)
I strongly believe that Satan is the cause of death, sickness, and mayhem. But it is clear that sometimes the Washer needs to give us a good scrubbing and help us get back on track!
“Those whom I love I rebuke and discipline.” (Revelations 3:19)
“My son, do not despise the Lords discipline and do not resent his rebuke, because the Lord disciplines those he loves, as a father the son he delights in.” (Proverbs 3:11-12)
It’s not always pleasant to get washed and refined. He does it for us so we will desire to cry out, “Cleanse me and I will be clean; wash me, and I will be whiter than snow.” The Washer wants to create a clean heart and renew a right spirit in us. (Psalm 51:10) He wants to wash the dirt from our hearts so we are able to make the good decision to choose life, so that we may live. (Deuteronomy 30:19) The Washer is the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Him. (John 14:6)
I live and die by the Washer.
I guess in the end, although still a dramatic statement, that is a true statement! Like with the leper Naaman, the Washer urges us to “wash and be cleansed.” May we all be as completely adamant as Peter was, when he wanted not just his feet washed by the Washer, but his hands and head as well! May each one of us choose to live by the Washer!