Coming to the Lord with a Clean Heart
“Who shall ascend the hill of the Lord? And who shall stand in His holy place? He who has clean hands and a pure heart, who does not lift up his soul to what is false, and does not swear deceitfully.” (Psalm 24:3-4)
Before the priests could enter into the Holy Place, they first were required to wash in the bronze basin. This did more than wash the blood of the sacrifices off their hands and feet. It symbolized that none of us can come into the Lord’s presence with the filth of sin and worldliness. We cannot wallow in the sins of this world and expect to dance upon the streets of Heaven. 1 Corinthians 6:9-11 clearly tells us, “Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived; neither the immoral, nor idolators, nor adulterers, nor homosexuals, nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor robbers will inherit the kingdom of God. And such were some of you. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and in the Spirit of our God.”
You most likely have heard the words of Jesus from Matthew 7:15-20: “Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves. You will know them by their fruits. Are grapes gathered from thorns, or figs from thistles? So, every sound tree bears good fruit, but the bad tree bears evil fruit. A sound tree cannot bear evil fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Thus you will know them by their fruits.” The ‘fruit’ of our lives can be easily seen by the things we do, the attitudes we have, the responses we make to others, and the relationships we nurture. If we look back at 1 Corinthians 6:9-11, we see the fruit of sin: immorality, idolatry, adultery, homosexuality… these are the fruits of unrighteousness. Some people say that you are what you eat. In like manner, your faith is as strong as your actions.
Because a close walk with the Lord alters our attitudes and desires, if we see the fruits of sin in someone’s life it is a good indication that their walk is not as close as they would like – or claim it to be. Yes, sin can be found in each of our lives, but sin that is glorified and boasted of reveals a heart that is unclean. A lifestyle that produces evil and unrighteous fruit does not lead to the Lord. It leads to death. Before we enter into God’s presence, we must be washed. Thankfully, Jesus washed us clean from all our sins and shame. What a crime it is when we return to our evil ways once more. If you want to bear good fruit and walk closely with your God, first remove the filth from your hands and feet. Stop walking in the ways of this world. Stop reaching for what the Lord says is detestable and search instead for what is holy and true. Allow God to cleanse you on the inside so your heart can rest in God’s presence.
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