As some of you may know, I just completed a 1,500-mile journey from Minot, North Dakota to San Angelo, Texas. During those 1,500 miles, I was given the opportunity to think. I was able to think without worry or interruption. I took this profound opportunity to reflect on my walk as a Christian. It wasn’t until I was about 50 miles outside of Oklahoma City, Oklahoma that the Holy Spirit smacked me in the face. Let me tell you what transpired.
I had been listening to the news on my XM satellite radio for the entire trip, up to this point. Once I reached OKC, I decided that I was done with the news for a while and put in my collection of Christian MP3s. There were several songs that I would (because I was by myself) belt out in epic proportions such as “Revelation Song” by Kari Jobe, “As it is in Heaven” by Matt Maher, and “Overcome” by Jeremy Camp (a personal favorite of mine). Then, out of nowhere, Kutless came on and sang, what seemed to be just for me, “Give us Clean Hands”.
I had been listening to the news on my XM satellite radio for the entire trip, up to this point. Once I reached OKC, I decided that I was done with the news for a while and put in my collection of Christian MP3s. There were several songs that I would (because I was by myself) belt out in epic proportions such as “Revelation Song” by Kari Jobe, “As it is in Heaven” by Matt Maher, and “Overcome” by Jeremy Camp (a personal favorite of mine). Then, out of nowhere, Kutless came on and sang, what seemed to be just for me, “Give us Clean Hands”.
As you drive for long distances and for long periods of time, you have the distinct opportunity to LISTEN to the words in songs. There isn’t anyone else in the vehicle with you – just you – to listen. If you listen to the words of “Give us Clean Hands” you’ll hear that they’re saying, “God, make me humble! Turn my eyes from evil things, and help me cast down my idols (Idols: things that we put before God).” Further, it asks God to give us clean hands and pure hearts. Let’s talk for a second about what the song is referring to as “clean hands” and “pure hearts”.
Clean hands refers to forgiveness of sin. We are ALL sinners. We were born in sin (shameless plug – our church is doing “The Story” Bible study. It’s AWESOME! The first chapter teaches us how we were born in sin. If you’re looking for a very rewarding study that will guide your path for the next 30 weeks, join us at First Presbyterian Church in Minot). Pure hearts is the same as clean hands. Having a pure heart is referring to the cleansing of our sins and making our heart pure again. It’s so remarkable when the burden of sin is forgiven by simply asking our Savior.
As the song moves forward, it says, “God, let us be a generation that seeks your face, oh God of Jacob.” How often do we seek, really seek, Him? Are we “Weekend Warriors” with the rest of the week we are our old, pre-saved self? Do we act differently Monday through Saturday? For some of us, myself included, I would say yeah, sometimes I don’t act like I should. Why is that? The answer is quite simple, to me at least. I have put other things before God – none of which are more important than Him (work, school, house projects, the list is endless). I believe that for this reason, and mainly this reason, is why the Church (the whole body of Christ throughout all denominations) is in sharp decline. We don’t seek Him as we should (I would argue: “as we must”).
Now let’s talk about the lyrics, “Let us not lift our souls to another…” Woah! That’s a pretty powerful statement, isn’t it? What are they saying? To me, it’s saying, God, wash my sins and help me cast down my idols so that when I die, I will be with you for eternity. You may be asking yourself, “What if I’m already saved and don’t cast down my idols (AKA: sin).” That is a debate for another post – many scholars believe “once saved, always saved” whereas some other scholars believe that you must live for Christ daily, giving all glory to Him – always – otherwise you are no longer saved. I will not inject my opinion in this post but know that that is a debate among many respected scholars on both sides of the issue.
Here’s the bottom line. As a Christ follower, we need to BE a Christ follower and not just say that we are. I read a book called “Not a Fan” by Pastor Kyle Idleman. In his very interesting book, he explains what it’s like to be a “fan” of Christ and to be a “follower” of Christ. It is my prayer that we are all followers of Him who created us. Being a fan of Christ is a slippery slope to be on; a slope that many people that no longer attend church have taken.
So Christ followers, here is your charge – in Jesus’ words – “Go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, Son, and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of age.” (Matthew 28:19-20)
So there you have it Church…Jesus will be with us, always, when we’re doing what He commanded. It’s time to get to work! Don’t let 2012 be like 2011 – the Church can’t afford (spiritually, not monetarily) to lose another 1.5 million members!
Go in peace and serve the Lord!
Yours in Christ,
Jeremy