Can anything be forever clean?

“Cleanliness is next to godliness”. For those of you that are unaware of it, this phrase is NOT actually in the Bible (although for much of my childhood I thought it was). Today as I was cleaning my house, my mind ran across this statement. A smile spread across my face as I recalled times my mom employed those very words to get me to clean (sadly it was not as effective as she would have hoped…clearly I was a little heathen 🙂 ). Why the trip down memory lane? Clean what does it mean? Here’s a better question, can anything ever really be fully clean? Honestly…no. We clean a dish only to dirty it again. We do the same with our house, our clothes, our lives. Life is messy and as we continue on our journey we will pick up the dust, dirt and grime that inevitably comes along with travel. We on our own are powerless to stay clean forever. This to me is why God’s grace is so AMAZING. He is aware of our inadequacies and He loves us still. He has the power to make us clean and keep us that way. All we have to do is ask.  As always I am not asking you to believe because I believe, but I will ask that you seek truth…REAL truth. It’s not hiding. Right now my house is clean, my clothes are clean, and apart from the cup I am now using, the dishes are also clean. However, before this night ends one or more of the previously mentioned items will be dirty again.  Thank goodness I know where the cleaning agents are. 🙂

“If 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).

So what am I thankful for today? Knowing where the cleaning AGENT is.