Dirty Knees

To take something that the Devil has twisted and then use it for good is a great thing. I'm referring to an off-color joke having to do with the title of this entry. But it got me thinking yesterday, and I changed the joke a little to make it reflective of the Christian life. So here goes:

How do you tell who is the Senior Pastor in a church?

He's the one with the dirty knees.

Ok - ok - so maybe it's not that funny, but it is a reflection of the Christian life. When we are reborn in Christ, it's not just a one-time event. It isn't just washing yourself once and staying clean the rest of your life, because nobody can. No, it's about constantly being down on your knees, repenting of sins and asking for forgiveness.

Matthew 28:19 says "Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,"

Jesus sends us out into the world, and if you're going into the world, you're going to get dirty. That's why you have to go back and get clean. Regularly! In Jesus' day, people wore sandals, and the streets weren't paved. I hate dirt driveways because I track sand into my car. I can't imagine wearing sandals on dirt roads, and WALKING everywhere. So it was customary that when you came into some one's house, they would wash your dirty feet.

The foot-washing job was usually looked at as a job for the lowest slave. I mean, who would want to wash people's dirty, callused, stinky feet. Well, the bible tells a story of a time when Jesus washed his disciples' feet. They were all bickering about who was the greatest disciple, and Jesus just puts on a towel, and begins washing their feet. There is more to that story,as a topic for another blog. The point I want to make, is that we need to keep washing ourselves. We get dirty. We sin. We become angry, and succumb to the flesh. But the important part is that we come back to him, and ask him to clean us again. And we don't live in the flesh, we live with Him.

Thank God, for continuing to wash us, and cleaning the dirty knees of our pants.