Imagine, you've just awakened and you feel that yucky, pasty film in your mouth. Morning breath! Everybody gets it. Everybody hates it. You can't even think of kissing your spouse good morning until you make a beeline for the bathrrom to brush your teeth.
Why? Because brushing your teeth will clean your mouth and freshen your breath. Right? Well, your breath might smell fresher, and your teeth might appear cleaner, but are they really?
Take a look at the image below. It is a single "used" bristle from a toothbrush. THIS is what you are using to "clean" your teeth.
Yuck! Turns out we are using dirty, germy utensils to clean our dirty, germy teeth.
Well, it might not be a perfect method, but when it comes to teeth, it's the best system we have to work with.
Ok, so our teeth won't be perfectly clean. They'll at least appear to be clean.
But when it comes to our sin, the appearance of clean just won't cut it.
Our sin needs an utter scrubbing, a complete bleaching, a total cleansing. This can't be accomplished by our own efforts! We, ourselves, are soiled and unclean. You can't scrub filth with filth. You can't cleanse away sin with a dirty rag. Oh, we might do a good job of appearing to be clean (holy). But it's just a facade.
Nothing short of the perfect cleansing of sin by the blood of our Perfect Savior can genuinely wash away our sin and shame. In the words of the old, classic hymn:
What can wash away my sin? Nothing but the blood of Jesus!
What can make me whole again? Nothing but the blood of Jesus!
Oh precious is the flow that makes me white as snow.
No other fount I know. Nothing but the blood of Jesus!
Stop trying to whitewash your sin with your own good efforts. That sparkling white smile won't fool the Savior.
"If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness" (1 John 1:9, ESV).
"He saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit" (Titus 3:5, ESV).
"Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me" (Psalm 51:10, ESV).
Robert Kennedy famously (or infamously!) chose to never carry cash. Rather, he had a reputation of relying on his friends and entourage to fork over the dough when needs arose. Biographer Evan Thomas records that on one such occasion, Kennedy found himself at a church service with no money to put in the plate. He looked to his friend to put something in on his behalf. The friend reportedly place a single dollar into the plate, to which Kennedy chided, "Don’t you think I’d be more generous than that?”
This begs the question, if your neighbor were going to "give" on your behalf, how generous would they be? You might "think" yourself a generous soul, but do your actions match your own self-image?
Just a word of caustion — Don't be more generous in theory than in practice.
"One gives freely, yet grows all the richer; another withholds what he should give, and only suffers want. Whoever brings blessing will be enriched, and one who waters will himself be watered" (Proverbs 11:24-25, ESV).
"Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver" (2 Corinthians 9:7, ESV).
Imagine that you are in line at a coffee shop, and the person in front of you offers to pay for your drink. Inspired by their kindness, you then offer to pay for the drink of the person behind you. This chain continues as each person pays for the drink of the person behind them, creating a chain of kindness that benefits everyone in line.
Well, one of the longest such "pay-it-forward" car lines in history actually happened at a St. Petersburg, Florida, Starbucks back in 2014, when some 750 cars kept the chain flowing over the course of two days.
“It was a pleasant surprise. Everyone likes their coffee paid for. So it was nice,” one customer told CNN affiliate Bay News 9.
Small acts of kindness can have quite a ripple effect. They can inspire others to do the same, simply for the sake of blessing another, without any expectation of receiving anything in return.
We don't need to be in a coffee line, though, to bless those coming up behind us. We can be constantly on the lookout for opportunities to show kindness to others, even in small ways. This can include offering to help a neighbor with their groceries, holding the door open for someone, or simply smiling and saying hello to a stranger. By doing so, we can create a positive impact in the lives of others and contribute to a chain of kindness that can benefit our communities and beyond. That's the ripple effect. Even small gestures can have BIG impact.
"So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets" (Matthew 7:12, NIV).
"And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works ... " (Hebrews 10:24, ESV).