Ann’s house is set back in the woods a few hundred yards from the road, and about the same distance behind the house runs an interesting little stream that changes in depth from about six inches to two feet. But even two feet deep was too shallow for Ann and her cousins, who lived next door, so they built a dam with sticks and stones and bricks. It raised the water level enough to sail a boat. Now all they needed was the “boat.”
Ann knew that her uncle had a large piece of Styrofoam about six inches thick that would be just perfect! The cousins all cheered when he said they could have it. They immediately carried it down to the stream. It didn’t take them long to find some long, strong sticks to use to push it through the water. Nearly every day when their homework was finished, the four cousins would take turns riding on the “boat,” usually only two riding on it at a time.
At spring vacation some other cousins came to visit. Ann and the three older girls headed for the stream. All four of them carefully climbed on the “boat” and began poling their way down the stream. What fun! Soon they were laughing and shouting and shoving their sticks down into the muddy bottom to make the “boat” go faster. The once-clear water was now cloudy with mud. Ann, who was standing at the back, gave her stick an extra hard shove into the bottom, but it caught on something. The other three girls were so busy speeding up the boat that they did not notice Ann’s problem. Ann lost her balance and tumbled headfirst into that muddy water.
In only a few seconds Ann had climbed out of the stream. But what a change! Every inch of her was covered with mud, and she was shivering with cold.
Now Ann’s father had been watching them the whole time. And Someone is watching you every minute. Do you know who it is? It is God. “His eyes are upon the ways of man, and He seeth all.” Job 34:2121For his eyes are upon the ways of man, and he seeth all his goings. (Job 34:21). He is watching you because He loves you so much. Ann’s father was watching her because he loved her. She belonged to him; she was his child. Do you belong to God? Are you one of His children?
We all have done many bad things in our lives; we must come to the Lord Jesus and trust Him to wash our hearts clean and give us of His life. That’s how we become children of God. John 1:12,1312But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name: 13Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God. (John 1:12‑13) says, “As many as received Him, to them gave He power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on His name: which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.”
But even though we are God’s children, sometimes we fall again into the muck of sin, just like Ann fell into the muck of that stream. Ann’s father stepped out of the woods and said, “Ann, you get home quickly and take a long, hot shower.” If we are one of God’s children there’s only one thing to do if we do something wrong — get back quickly to our loving Father and let Him clean us up. If we will go to Him and “confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” 1 John 1:99If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. (1 John 1:9).
It took a lot of soap, shampoo and hot water for Ann to clean up. Soon she was back with her cousins, warm, dry and in clean clothes. She felt much better.
And God wants each of us to be clean from sin so we can enjoy all the good things He has to share with us. In Eph. 5:25-2725Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it; 26That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word, 27That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish. (Ephesians 5:25‑27) we read that “Christ also loved the church [that includes everyone who has trusted Him to forgive their sins], and gave Himself for it; that He might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the Word [by reading our Bibles], that He might present it to Himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish.” It’s wonderful to be clean like that! Come to the Lord Jesus confessing you are a sinner, and let Him make you His child, and then let Him keep you clean and pure all your life.
ML-08/27/1989