Keys to the Kingdom By Carolyn Tucker

Rags v Washcloths

All the washcloths in my bathroom are in the purple color palette. And when a washcloth becomes too worn, I’ll snip two sides of the binding and use it for a cleaning rag. This little procedure enables me to quickly distinguish the difference between rags and  washcloths when I fold and put away the laundry. One day I had multiple things on my mind and was simply operating by rote. I wasn‘t thinking about what I was doing, however, my goal was to take a shower. When I turned on the water, I noticed a washcloth draped over the inside handle of the shower door. I grabbed it, soaped it, and began my shower. After a few minutes, my brain started working and I thought, “This washcloth doesn’t feel normal.” I kept showering. After a few more minutes I examined the washcloth and realized it was a rag that I had  used to clean the toilet.

“We are all infected and impure with sin. When we display our righteous deeds, they are nothing but filthy rags. Like autumn leaves, we wither and fall, and our sins sweep us away like the wind” (Isaiah 64:6 NLT). Human nature loves to compare itself with others less than God. We aren’t apt to compare ourselves to ordinary people, instead we will compare ourselves to others such as Al Capone, Jesse James, or Marilyn Manson. When we choose self-righteousness over God-righteousness, we find ourselves taking a shower with a filthy rag.

When we make the mistake of comparing ourselves to others, we decide we’re not all that bad. Human righteousness is a big fat joke when compared to the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus. A dead animal on the highway stinks; and our own attempts to be righteous stinks in the nostrils of God. God makes His comparison against His own righteousness and that‘s when we find ourselves stripped and holding the short end of a filthy rag.

The last car show I attended had a 1959 Chevy Bel Air and I headed straight for it. I enjoyed visiting with the gentleman who owned the car. He offered to pop the hood so I could see the engine. You know, you can have a magnificently-restored vehicle in pristine condition, but without an engine it’s not nearly as impressive. Our heart is like the engine. It’s hidden, but oh so important. Jesus said, “…What fills the heart comes out of the mouth” (Matthew 12:34 CEB). When God speaks of the heart He’s referring to the very center of our being.

I’m thankful that I can trade my filthy rag of self-righteousness for a renewed heart. “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His word is not in us” (1 John 1:9-10 NKJV). John the Beloved reminds Christ followers that God remains faithful to forgive our sins (shortcomings, failures) when we miss the mark. We can’t fix ourselves, but we can sincerely ask for forgiveness and the blood of Jesus will do the cleaning.

     “Let us go right into the presence of God with sincere hearts fully trusting Him. For our guilty consciences have been sprinkled with Christ‘s blood to make us clean, and our bodies have been washed with pure water. Let us hold tightly without wavering to the hope we affirm, for God can be trusted to keep His promise” (Hebrews 10:22-23 NLT).

The Key: Never use a filthy rag of self-righteousness when God has a new clean  washcloth of His righteousness.

This year will be different.  This year will be the year I keep my New Year’s resolutions.  Don’t look at me like that.  I will. After all, it can’t be that hard to set aside an hour each day for exercise, to stop eating when I am full and to have alone time with Jesus each day. Three simple things, the trifecta for a healthy life.

If I were to look back at the last 10 years of my January 1^st articles, I would see the same thing written, year after year. I’m going to exercise more, eat less and pray often. I refuse to preview those stories because to see that I have failed those goals on an annual basis would be depressing, and who wants to start 2025 being depressed?

The good news is I have figured out why it is so difficult to keep these resolutions.  It’s the way I’m wired.  Yes indeedy, if in doubt, blame it on genetics. After all, that’s not the only area in which I struggle to do what I know I need to do.  Let me explain.

Before I became a Christian at the age of 27, I tried really, really hard to be a good girl. I tried harder at that than I do my New Year’s resolutions.  I wanted to please people, but I also wanted to please the angels, the saints, Jesus and God.  It was a lofty goal, and I failed more than I succeeded.  When I heard the message that there is nothing anyone can do in his/her own power to “earn” God’s favor, I realized why those times I took my angel to the playground to swing “her” was not the spiritual experience I wanted it to be.  (No doubt, referring to them with feminine names probably did not help).

Ephesians 2:8 reminds us that we are saved by God’s grace, not because we have performed to His expectations.  God’s gift to us is His son, Jesus Christ, who came to save us from our sins.  And just like my daily reminder to fulfill my New Years’ Eve goals, I daily have to remind myself that my good works do not earn me any grace points. So, why do I still try? (This is where that genetics’ thing falls apart.)

God’s grace-covering, of course, doesn’t mean that I have no responsibility in doing the right thing and serving others.  James 2:26 tells me so.  “Faith without works is dead.” If you read the New Testament, you will see dozens of scriptures that tell us works are not the cause of salvation; works are the evidence of salvation.       Legitimate faith in Christ always results in good works. Faith without works reveals a heart that has not been transformed by God, just like me saying that I am all about physical fitness without watching what I eat and spending time working out shows I am not serious about my goal to get in shape.

I find it comforting that God covers me with His grace.  There is nothing I can do to help myself in that area, and that assurance makes it easier for me to want to spend time in His presence, the third part of my New Year’s goal.

If it were just that easy with the eating and exercising part.