By Pastor Steve Nickodemus

Just like new!

You can listen to today’s devotion by clicking this SoundCloud link

“He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, whom He poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Savior…”
Titus 3:5b,6 New International Version

What an amazing invention, this kitchen dishwasher! My childhood is full of memories of hand washing dishes, probably not antiseptically nor willingly.

But this dishwasher! You can stack all sorts of dirty dishes in it, put in a little soap, push a couple of buttons, and presto! A few hours later, you have all your dishes washed and ready for more good use.

You and I were dirty dishes, soiled and useless for any good purpose. We had been created to do wonderful things for God, but sin had soiled us and rendered us unfit for God’s purposes. And then… God’s grace in Jesus Christ came upon us, and we were cleansed in our baptism by the washing of rebirth through Jesus Christ and the renewing for God’s purposes by the Holy Spirit! No more are you and I useless vessels, unfit for God to send out to do His will. Now God can use us to bring the Good News of Jesus to a dying world.

We can offer up the great feast of mercy in Christ Jesus to a hungry, dying world. We can lead others to our Savior, to the One who washes us clean, who makes all things new!

And the Lord uses all sizes and shapes and types of vessels for His purposes. He uses all His reborn, washed, renewed people in thousands of different ways to bring others to His cleansing blood. And He did all this out of His great love and mercy in Christ Jesus. What a joy it is to be clean and useful for Him!

Praise Jesus for His soul-renewing blood!

Copyright Holy Cross Lutheran Church Colorado Springs, Colorado