One afternoon in bible study, the teacher/leader and my friend Renee brought in what she called a "mud puppy". She did not tell anyone what it was. It looked like a big Georgia clay mud ball about the size of a BIG soccer ball. She sat it down and everyone touched it. It was dry, hard, dirty, and crusty. Renee got out a hammer and started chipping away carefully at the mud puppy. It didn't take long to get to expose the center of the mud puppy. It was a ball jar with clear water in it. Renee started to explain the concept of Grace and the Law. When she got down to the jar, she opened the sealed jar of water. She had small cups and poured everyone a small amount of water and told us to drink. The water was not contaminated, discolored, or spoiled. It was clean and clear, good enough to drink and we did. Renee explained that when we were saved we were the jar (vessel). God cleaned us out and poured HIS HOLY SPIRIT in our clean vessel. He then sealed us with his Holy Spirit (Eph 1:13). (Sealed according to scripture indicates possession and security). Some of us choose to keep our outside vessel looking trendy, good, clean, and acceptable. Some of us don't. Some choose to slip back into the world after we've been cleaned up by the hand God and get dirty, and wet, and roll in the mud, and dirty, and repeat the process..until we look like a "mud puppy". Yet our inside is still clean and pure because God himself sealed us with a heavenly seal..The Holy Spirit.
I started this blog by saying that God is good to show me spiritual concept with worldly examples. My sister would can vegetables in the summer. But in the winter when she wanted to cook the canned vegetables the jars would be dusty and dirty when she took them off the shelf. She would rince the jar before she opened the jar. She would then open the jar and cook the vegetable inside and not think twice about how dirty the jar was on the outside. She would then use the veggie for what ever recipe she needed it for. (Side bar) God can pour us out and use us for whatever He desires.
Why do we think that we have the ability to make ourselves clean and worthy or unclean and not useable? What kind of God do we have if we have the ability to make what was made pure.. unpure? Was His sacrifice not good enough? (Heb 10:10-14) What God has made clean nothing or no one can make dirty. What God has deemed worthy nothing can make unworthy. What God has birthed, nothing can unbirth it. Nothing.., church, scripture reading bible studies, retreats, etc..will or can make or keep you clean, worthy or saved only the Spirit of God and only He can keep you saved, clean, and worthy of your salvation.
Its NOT JESUS + anything I do...Its JESUS and what He did.
The concept of Grace changed my life. It was very difficult in the beginning because scripture says God lives through me/my life. I can do nothing apart from God..not save myself nor lose my salvation.
Recommended tried and true teacher of Grace are Bob George, Joseph Prince, and Bill and Anabelle Gillem and of course Galations.
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