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Listen while you read: "Redeemed"1 (Lyrics) |
During this time of COVID-19, we are all being reminded to wash our hands well. This pleading by those who are trying to keep the general population safe reminds me of an experiment we Registered Nurse students had to do when I was in training.
Our class was put into groups and assigned to go to different primary schools. Each group had to choose who would teach good hygiene, and who would perform the experiment. My group's class of children was most attentive as we taught good hand washing and why. The children's teacher remained in the class to evaluate the nursing students.
When the lesson on hand washing was finished, a small amount of liquid soap was put on each pair of hands. The children were told to go to the sinks in the bathroom and scrub their hands really well, dry on a paper towel and come back to class. Two of our students went with the children to encourage good hand washing.
The children came back to class when they were positive that they had all the soap cleaned off their hands. When all the children were in their seats, we had them come up to the front one at a time so that they could see what was still on their hands. The soap had a fluorescent factor in it that could not be seen with the naked eye, and we had ultraviolet lights that would make it glow on their supposedly clean hands. The children were very surprised at what they saw still left on their hands. Some spots were big, while others were small.
Jeremiah 17:9 – The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it? (NIV)
When I think of this experiment with the children, it reminds me that only God can see how clean my heart is in His sight.
God's Word says that those who ask Jesus Christ to forgive their sin and to come into their lives are forgiven in His sight.
1 John 1:9 – If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. (NIV)
Hebrews 8:12 – For I will forgive their wickedness and will remember their sins no more. (NIV)
Prayer: Father in heaven, keep us conscious of wrong in our lives and help us to ask for Your forgiveness. Help us to be good neighbours, showing kindness and concern for others. We pray that others would see Jesus Christ in us. Amen.
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So well put!
May it be so, Ruth.
Good one. Thanks.
Thank you, Ruth, for sharing this encouraging devotional with us. Blessings.
Merci. Timely, pithy analogy. “… beyond cure …” is a helpful Jeremiah interpretation. Does Elliot Lake, dating back to its founding, look healthy in ultraviolet light?
Thank you for your devotional. It was such a vivid way of giving us the message of what only God can see and that we cannot hide from Him.
And, of His mercy toward us his beloved children.
I have been listening to the devotionals for years and years and always have they helped me grow as a child of God. Merci Ruth,
(QC)
Hello Ruth,
A very good devotional you have written and really brings to light that our Lord is the one and only, who can really see what state of ” cleanliness” exists in our hearts . He is the one who can give us forgiveness for wrong doings and lead us on a clean path ahead to really enrich our lives. Our loving Lord is ever ready to hear and respond to our prayers. Blessings and thanks for the writings you do.
Great illustration Ruth. It always bothered me though: soap kills bacteria. It doesn’t have to be anti-bacterial. It’s the soap that’s left, not the “germs” right? Just thinking about that little song: what can wash away our sin? Nothing but the blood of Jesus! You know that one? The implication in the experiment was that there’s still bacteria on their hands, no? No quarrel with the practice if it gets kids to wash their hands well. But, am I right about that? Just curious. I had someone come into our kids’ club and they did that little test, but it always niggled in my brain.
Covered in the blood of Jesus is a good thing, right? Blessings!
Dear Ruth,
So relevant to the times we are in right now. So advanced was your equipment to be able to clearly show the children what they had missed. It would be good if we had some kind of tool which lit up our wrongs in our lives as a learning tool and a teaching tool. I know asking God for help, the Holy Spirit will guide us but if we are visual learners an experiment like this would really be efficient. Did you check the cleanliness of your own hands with this experiment also?
Thanks for continuing to share your thoughts and learnings, to help us all grow our faith and learn new ways of looking at different ideas. May you continue to encourage us all along our faith journey. Blessings.
Good morning, Ruth,
I can well imagine the children’s shock in seeing what remained on their hands.
If only we had a soap like that for our hearts, minds, and souls – the visible evidence of spiritual germs! I imagine that is what the Psalmist is asking for, ‘fluorescent soap’ to reveal all that is in us that infects our relationship with God and with one another:
Psalm 139:23-24
Search me, God, and know my heart;
test me and know my anxious thoughts.
See if there is any offensive way in me,
and lead me in the way everlasting.
Thank you for your devotion. You brought a smile to my face and gave me pause to think about the unseen things in our lives that need our acknowledgment and repentance to help keep our spiritual lives healthy.
God bless you on this summer day.
Yay, Ruth for a memorable writing that goes right to the heart of the matter while performing double duty as both a Covid preventer AND a reminder of God’s forgiveness! Thanks for writing.