Ephesians 5:26, “ that He might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word.”

     The process that God has established for going from a common man to a holy one, is called sanctification.  He purifies us, or washes us with the water, or His word.  It’s a process that must continually be allowed if we are to grow in Him.  Just like taking a physical bath, which we must do on a regular basis, we must bathe with His water on a regular basis.  We bathe because we get dirty after a while and as we work we start to perspire and eventually smell if we don’t bathe.  It’s the same spiritually.  The harder we work the more dirt of the world gets on us and the more we start to smell, or lose the fragrance of Jesus.  When this happens we need to be purified, or washed in His water by the word.  This is why it’s so important to stay on the word.  The word is what cleans us and keeps us pure.  Our purification, or our ability to continue on in this sanctification process, depends on how much we stay in the word.  The word keeps us pure and is what allows us to draw into His presence.   That’s why after we sin, it’s so hard to pick up the word and read it.  We smell so much we don’t think we’re worthy to be in the word.  But Jesus loves us so much that He’ll raise us from the dead just like He did Lazarus, even though he already smelled.  So, can you smell yourself this morning?  You might just need a bath with pure water, Amen!                      God Bless, Rusty