THREE ANGELS BROADCASTING NETWORK DEVOTIONAL
The Launderer’s Soap
By Shelley Quinn November 23rd
“He is like a refiner’s fire and like launderer’s soap.” Malachi 3:2
The refining fire of God’s presence in the Christian life burns away the dross of deadly sins and worthless pursuits. However, the launderer’s soap referenced in Malachi 3:2 is a strong alkali used to whiten cloth, and serves as another symbol of the inward purifying process God works in His people. A story about my beloved Yorkshire terrier provides a mental picture of this principle—and while it’s a rather crude illustration, it makes the point (hopefully, without offending your sensibilities).
T.C. (“Too Cute”) was the most special dog my husband and I have ever owned. Intelligent and obedient, he was eager to please. We never had a problem with T.C. until we moved to our farm in central Texas. There, to my horror, T.C. discovered the lure of cow patties (cow dung). For reasons only a Yorkie could appreciate, he found their alfalfa scent irresistible and frequently rolled around in the odoriferous piles. Following his frolics, he would come to the door, pleading to enter our home again.
Naturally, his pungent condition was repulsive to me, but I did not love him any less. I could not send my beloved T.C. away, issuing the impossible command for him to clean himself up before he returned. In disgust, I would scoop him up and plunge him into a tub. Generously lathering him with shampoo, I lovingly—but vigorously—scrubbed every last hint of the stinky residue away and gave him a thorough rinsing. While T.C. was not particularly fond of my requirement for cleanliness, after his bath we enjoyed sweet companionship again.
The devil dots the landscape with piles of his “sin patties” that are strangely alluring to fallen humanity. Rolling around in Satan’s immoral mess, we don’t recognize the stench our condition presents to a holy God. Does He love us any less? No, but our state of existence is deplorable to him.
Even so, where there is guilt and godly sorrow, there is grace. When we repent and return to Him, He is fully aware that our best efforts are futile to cleanse our fallen nature. He can’t bear to leave us in that unrighteous form, so with love and pity, our Holy Lord takes His launderer’s soap to clean the residue of sin’s influence away and rid us of sin’s dominating power, making our fellowship acceptable to Him.
The Launderer’s Soap
By Shelley Quinn November 23rd
“He is like a refiner’s fire and like launderer’s soap.” Malachi 3:2
The refining fire of God’s presence in the Christian life burns away the dross of deadly sins and worthless pursuits. However, the launderer’s soap referenced in Malachi 3:2 is a strong alkali used to whiten cloth, and serves as another symbol of the inward purifying process God works in His people. A story about my beloved Yorkshire terrier provides a mental picture of this principle—and while it’s a rather crude illustration, it makes the point (hopefully, without offending your sensibilities).
T.C. (“Too Cute”) was the most special dog my husband and I have ever owned. Intelligent and obedient, he was eager to please. We never had a problem with T.C. until we moved to our farm in central Texas. There, to my horror, T.C. discovered the lure of cow patties (cow dung). For reasons only a Yorkie could appreciate, he found their alfalfa scent irresistible and frequently rolled around in the odoriferous piles. Following his frolics, he would come to the door, pleading to enter our home again.
Naturally, his pungent condition was repulsive to me, but I did not love him any less. I could not send my beloved T.C. away, issuing the impossible command for him to clean himself up before he returned. In disgust, I would scoop him up and plunge him into a tub. Generously lathering him with shampoo, I lovingly—but vigorously—scrubbed every last hint of the stinky residue away and gave him a thorough rinsing. While T.C. was not particularly fond of my requirement for cleanliness, after his bath we enjoyed sweet companionship again.
The devil dots the landscape with piles of his “sin patties” that are strangely alluring to fallen humanity. Rolling around in Satan’s immoral mess, we don’t recognize the stench our condition presents to a holy God. Does He love us any less? No, but our state of existence is deplorable to him.
Even so, where there is guilt and godly sorrow, there is grace. When we repent and return to Him, He is fully aware that our best efforts are futile to cleanse our fallen nature. He can’t bear to leave us in that unrighteous form, so with love and pity, our Holy Lord takes His launderer’s soap to clean the residue of sin’s influence away and rid us of sin’s dominating power, making our fellowship acceptable to Him.
THREE ANGELS BROADCASTING NETWORK DEVOTIONAL
The Launderer’s Soap
By Shelley Quinn November 23rd
“He is like a refiner’s fire and like launderer’s soap.” Malachi 3:2
The refining fire of God’s presence in the Christian life burns away the dross of deadly sins and worthless pursuits. However, the launderer’s soap referenced in Malachi 3:2 is a strong alkali used to whiten cloth, and serves as another symbol of the inward purifying process God works in His people. A story about my beloved Yorkshire terrier provides a mental picture of this principle—and while it’s a rather crude illustration, it makes the point (hopefully, without offending your sensibilities).
T.C. (“Too Cute”) was the most special dog my husband and I have ever owned. Intelligent and obedient, he was eager to please. We never had a problem with T.C. until we moved to our farm in central Texas. There, to my horror, T.C. discovered the lure of cow patties (cow dung). For reasons only a Yorkie could appreciate, he found their alfalfa scent irresistible and frequently rolled around in the odoriferous piles. Following his frolics, he would come to the door, pleading to enter our home again.
Naturally, his pungent condition was repulsive to me, but I did not love him any less. I could not send my beloved T.C. away, issuing the impossible command for him to clean himself up before he returned. In disgust, I would scoop him up and plunge him into a tub. Generously lathering him with shampoo, I lovingly—but vigorously—scrubbed every last hint of the stinky residue away and gave him a thorough rinsing. While T.C. was not particularly fond of my requirement for cleanliness, after his bath we enjoyed sweet companionship again.
The devil dots the landscape with piles of his “sin patties” that are strangely alluring to fallen humanity. Rolling around in Satan’s immoral mess, we don’t recognize the stench our condition presents to a holy God. Does He love us any less? No, but our state of existence is deplorable to him.
Even so, where there is guilt and godly sorrow, there is grace. When we repent and return to Him, He is fully aware that our best efforts are futile to cleanse our fallen nature. He can’t bear to leave us in that unrighteous form, so with love and pity, our Holy Lord takes His launderer’s soap to clean the residue of sin’s influence away and rid us of sin’s dominating power, making our fellowship acceptable to Him.
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