■ I ill : M ; V Taking a Bath by Dr. W alter L. W ilson T h e su bject of taking a bath may be a strange thing for a preacher to talk about. But the Bible speaks of it, so there must be some lessons for us, too. Nearly everybody takes a bath, once in a while, at any rate. Cleanliness, through bathing, accompanies Chris tianity. It is a well-known fact that the heathen a r e very dirty, both about their persons and their habita tion. They are precious people, but where they know nothing about the Lord, civilization is very backward. It isn’t because they love dirt; they have never had any advantages of Chris tian training. Now when Christ comes in the dirt goes out. Those who turn to God through Jesus Christ desire to be as clean as possible both within and without. In the book of Job we read, “If I wash myself with snow water, and make my hands never so clean; yet shalt thou plunge me in the ditch, and mine clothes shall abhor me” (Job 9:30, 31). Job knew the value of bathing and so he wanted to be washed in soft water for cleansing pur poses. No amount of washing on the outside cleanses the inside. “What can wash away my sins? Nothing but the blood of Jesus!” A very strange bath is described in John 13:10 when Jesus said to Simon Peter, “'He that is washed needeth not save to wash his feet, but is clean every whit.” Our Lord was not speak ing of physical things; He was refer ring to the walk and the way of man. How difficult it is to get children to understand that every part must be washed with soap. (Did you ever smell your boy’s face to see whether he had washed it with soap?) The entire body must be washed to be all clean. So the entire soul, spirit, mind and heart must be washed in the blood of the Lamb if we would be clean every whit. Jesus was telling them that when their walk is fixed (represented by the feet), the : IP! It 111 :
whole soul and life would be clean. A futile and useless bath is men tioned in Jeremiah 2:22, “For though thou wash thee with nitre (that’s al cohol), and take thee much soap, yet thine iniquity is marked before me, saith the Lord God.” The person who washes himself with alcohol and soap indicates he truly needed a bath. He sought the two cleansing agents which he thought would be the best for him. He sought by his own efforts to remove the grime and stains from his skin. All was to no avail, however, even though he sought to blot out past memories. Only the living God can re move those incriminating stains. Most SOMEBODY PRAYED Somebody prayed, and refreshing rain Fell on the parching grass and grain; Cooling, reviving, the drought was stayed And food was growing; for some body prayed. Somebody prayed, and peaceful rest Sweetly came to the troubled breast, Bringing new hope where anguish before Crushed and darkened the pathway o'er. Somebody prayed, and across the sea The old, old story of Calvary, With its new, sweet meaning of love untold To the waiting million's heart was told. Somebody prayed! O gift divine! Linked with service for yours and mine. Communing each day with a living Lord, Working and waiting to prove His Word. — Author Unknown religious systems try to fix up the out side. But the transforming bath pro vided by the Lord completely cleanses. The life of a great general, Naaman, commander-in-chief of the armies of Syria, was so cleansed. In spite of his wonderful position and power, he was 22
Made with FlippingBook - Online catalogs