The first is to refrain from turning to idols - that's any time we look for purpose or satisfaction or meaning in anything other than God. Perhaps our society is less tempted by the wooden or stone idols of the ancient world, but when it comes to pointing our worship in the wrong direction we still have plenty of options. There are at least two aspects to purity of the heart in Psalm 24. Jesus reserved some of his toughest words for those who spent all their energy on looking holy on the outside but were anything but on the inside. This is what Jesus accused the Pharisees of doing in Matthew's Gospel (Matthew 23:25). It is possible for us to do the right things without pure hearts. It includes washing - of course - but also, giving to the poor, acting justly, not abusing positions of power and so much more. Having clean hands is a way of talking about doing the right thing on the outside, like with out behaviour. The verses tell us exactly what kind of worshipper God is looking for - and it is those whose hands are clean, but also those with 'clean' hearts. They will receive blessing from the Lord and vindication from God their Saviour." (v. Psalm 24 reads like this: "Who may ascend the mountain of the Lord? Who may stand in his holy place? The one who has clean hands and a pure heart, who does not trust in an idol or swear by a false God. We can wash the outside of our bodies and everything around us, but still have thoughts and behaviours that are doing us no good. That's true in ancient Bible times and true today. No amount of hand washing will give us a clean heart. The Bible writers would say that the need for internal cleansing is just as obvious as this need for external washing. In fact, large sections of the Old Testament are dedicated to keeping people clean from ceremonial hand washing and the removal of dirt from everyday items, right down to how we should clean ourselves after going to the toilet. But what does the Bible have to say about cleanliness and hygiene? Psalm 24 He made £9 (and in case you were wondering, he planned on buying a kebab with the proceeds). UK Government ministers have been emphasising the need to wash our hands, perhaps based on recent research into hand washing that showed of all people in the UK, 31 per cent of women and 57 per cent of men don't wash their hands after going to the toilet.Įarly on in the coronavirus pandemic, our supermarkets were sold out of hand sanitisers and hand wash, and we read the news about how a student was temporarily excluded from her school for selling his hand gel for £1 a pump. THOUGHT FOR THE DAY: May the Lord make possessing clean hands and pure hearts a reality for all His children.Have the hands of the world ever been cleaner than they are in this moment? The answer is: probably not. May the Lord make this a reality for all His children and cause them to understand the explanation and pour down hunger and thirst for righteousness upon their lives in Jesus’ name. By scripture we have understood that going to the Promised Land requires salvation and sanctification. When God brought forth the children of Israel from Egypt, they crossed two great waters the Red sea and the Jordan River. Make this a prayer point and ask the Lord to do this in your life. We are in the time that God wants to make people holy and filled with the love for righteousness, having put iniquity to death in their lives. If that happens, the righteousness and holiness he is looking for from you will be possible. God is giving attention to your heart to make that heart clean indeed. Whether you should love God or not love Him is from the heart. What you should take and what you should not take. It is the heart that controls all actions. You will not do that anymore because, if any man is in Christ, he is a new creation, old things are passed away. You will not find yourself committing fornication, adultery, drunkenness, lying and other sins again. Surrender your life to Me and give me your heart, and I will break the power of sin in your heart. You will not find yourself doing them anymore. Come to Me for pardon and transformation, then I will break the power of those things in your life and set you free indeed. There are ungodly things you do, willingly or unwillingly evil places you go to and evil activities you engage in that will damn your soul eternally. He wants to save man from bondage and captivity of sin and Satan. He calls all sinners everywhere to repentance and righteousness. God demands clean hands and a pure heart from all men.
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