My computer is slow this evening because my virus protection program is conducting a full scan of all systems as it looks for infections and other harmful intruders. I found myself wishing we had such a system to scan our bodies for infections and harmful intruders and then I realized we do have scanners at medical centers that do just that. However what about our mental situation? Our memories, habits, tendencies, passions and appetites are hidden all throughout our brains. Maybe it would not be such a good idea to have a scanner that would find the harmful intruders there. Most likely the overwhelming number we discover would be so discouraging we would just give up.
David prayed, “Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me.” He had already asked God to “Wash me thoroughly from mine iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin.” He was asking for a scan, a purge and a new hard drive. I am sure God did exactly what David asked for. God is like that. Unfortunately by the end of the next day David was infected again.
In Romans Paul struggles with this. He calls it his new man and his old man. Each day he found it necessary to kill off the old man and replace him with a new one fashioned after the mind of Jesus. It almost drove Paul insane when he realized the next day the old man had hammered his way out of his coffin and needed to once again be dealt with. See Psalms 51 and Romans 5 through 8.
Don’t be distressed. Paul also tells us in I Corinthians 15 that this corruption will put on incorruption. On resurrection morning we don’t just get a cleansed hard drive, we get a brand new one that is absolutely pure. How grand!
Written by Roger Bothwell on June 13, 2009
Spring of Life Ministry, PO Box 124, St. Helena, CA 94574
rogerbothwell.org