Wash your hands Week 34, 2014

Are your hands clean? If you look at them now they may appear so, especially if you have had your bath. They may look clean but there are unseen germs which cling to the hands. Everyone has them no matter your profession, gender, educational background or wealth. It is estimated the average individual has 1, 500 germs on an area the size of a sugar cube in the palm of the hand. More germs on the surface of your body than people in the United States of America! Wash your hands.

Diseases often spread from contact with hands and hand washing has been identified as the single most important practice in breaking the cycle of disease transmission in health-care facilities. Clean hands however require not only water but soap as well to truly get rid of germs. A thorough lathering of all the hands with soap and rinse with running water are recommended by the WHO for a standard wash. In the wake of infectious diseases hand washing is being strongly promoted.

Scripture also talks about cleaning our hands. Come close to God, and he will come close to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded Jas 4:8(ISV). This however refers to something deeper than the hands you see, but our inward beings which are defiled.  Just as our physical hands have germs, everyone has sinned. For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God Rom 3:23(KJV). Everyone has no matter your profession, gender, educational background or wealth. It is irrespective of the faith you were born into. This germ of sin is worse than Ebola virus; it leads to eternal damnation. But people who are cowardly, unfaithful, detestable, murderers, sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars will find themselves in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur. This is the second death Rev 21:8 (ISV). Since you have been careful (and rightly so) to observe precautions not to contract diseases have taken time to deal with the more lethal germ of sin? Is your heart clean?

Proper hand washing requires soap and water. God promised a proper heart washing for all who come to Him. The word of God is referred to as water [That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word Eph 5:26(KJV)] and the blood of Jesus is what cleanses the heart from sin. But Christ was sinless, and he offered himself as an eternal and spiritual sacrifice to God. That's why his blood is much more powerful and makes our consciences clear. Now we can serve the living God and no longer do things that lead to death Heb 9:14(CEV). You have done well in promoting hand washing: you need this heart washing too, but only much more.

It is a foolish thing to ignore health warnings and live as though disease transmission is not real: wash your hands. It is deadly to ignore the Bible’s warning – wash your heart. Do it by acknowledging you have impurity within you cannot remove before God, and then call upon Jesus to wash your heart in His blood. You will be clean from the inside out, a candidate of God’s heavenly kingdom.