leaving my rags behind

Have you ever just come
to the end of yourself?
When you finally realize
that you are not all that you thought
you would be, could be... should be.

When the bubble finally bursts
and you are just standing there
in a puddle of slippery, soapy substance...
pink plastic dipping stick in hand
dripping what's left
from the now empty bottle...
like tears you no longer have left to cry.

And you realize all this time
how very patient God has been
as He waited for you to finally get
that He has been doing all the work...
all this time!

Maybe you're not there yet...
but I am.
And the Israelites were too,
when Isaiah was writing...

For since the world began,
no ear has heard
and no eye has seen a God like You,
who works for those who wait for Him!
You welcome those who gladly do good,
who follow godly ways.

But You have been very angry with us,
for we are not godly.
We are constant sinners;
how can people like us be saved?
A great awakening.
One difficult, but necessary to admit.

We are all infected and impure with sin.
When we display our righteous deeds,
they are nothing but filthy rags.
Isaiah 64:4-6 NLT

There it is...
the harshest of verses,
depicting the end of our real self.
When we display our righteous deeds,
they are nothing but filthy rags.

So all that time..,
when we go around parading,
showing off,
all the "good" stuff we do for God,
we are living in a bubble.

Because even in our best-est of efforts,
the righteousness we are able
to squeeze out
is nothing but filthy rags to God.

Harsh... I know.
But remember,
He is first and foremost.
a Holy God.

And please, before you get offended.
know that I'm speaking all about me
before even mentioning you.

But let me explain something about
this word filthy, above.
It is very specific.
Without that word, the verse
would read very different.
It is included for good reason.

This word is from the Hebrew:
ed ... pronounced ayd
עִדִּים 5708
It means a stained garment,
soiled from menstrual flux.

This verse is the ONLY place
in the whole Bible
​where this word is used.

And for the MEN.,,
don't tune me out,
don't click the X in the corner...
this is for YOU too!

For here is how it is significant...
When a woman bleeds during this time,
its s the body's natural process
telling us that she is not pregnant;
that there is not life within her uterus.

Now clearly in biblical times,
women did't have the convenience
of disposable feminine products,
as we do today.
So they literally used rags
to collect the blood.
Hence the term, filthy rags.
And in that time period,
a woman menstruating was considered
to be unclean. (try not to take offense)
As was the blood on those rags.
It was to them unclean... or filthy.

But it was also blood without life.
And that is very significant.
Because as the verse says...
that is a representation of
our righteousness...
or our ability to do enough right
to be perfect before God,
to earn our right standing with Him.
We cannot. It would be impossible.

But Jesus... when He died in our place,
when He took the punishment for our sin...
He bled and died upon a cross.
His blood was filled with life.
It was the blood flowing through His heart.
​It was the blood keeping Him alive.
His blood is the key to our salvation.
His blood carried the righteousness
we need for the forgiveness of our sins.

So you to come to that point,
that end of yourself...
finally realizing
that you are not all that you thought
you would be, could be... or should be...

That is exactly when Jesus stepped in...
He rescues us from our filthy rags,
covering us with His righteousness!

So now we can come before God...
boldly standing right in front Him.
Not because of anything we have done,
but only due to the life-giving blood
of Jesus righteousness, that is now ours.

We we trade in our lifeless, filthy rags
for His life-giving sacrifice.

And so, dear brothers and sisters,
we can boldly enter
heaven’s Most Holy Place
because of the blood of Jesus.
Hebrews 10:19
​
But now you have been united
with Christ Jesus.
Once you were far away from God,
but now you have been
brought near to him
through the blood of Christ.
Ephesians 2:13

Whew!
An I ever grateful
to be rid of my filthy rags!

But it doesn't mean that
I don't occasionally
reach back and pick them up.
(I know... yuk, why would I do that?)
But when I try to DO something
in my own effort,
for my credit,
to show off how GOOD I am...
thats when I pick them up.
Like thinking I'm earning my way
back into God's GOOD graces.
Impossible!

Grace is the free gift
of Jesus righteous sacrifice
I accept it, or not.
I can't earn it.
I can't BE GOOD enough.

But it after I accept it,
(and I honestly must do this daily)
I am so grateful for it, that I long
to DO GOOD works.
In His strength,
for His glory,
filled with His life.
But no longer on my own.

So today...
I will let go of things done
in my own strength.
Because they are simply
lifeless and empty,
imperfect and unholy.
And apart from God,
I can do no good thing.

But I can do all things
through Christ
Who gives me strength!
​Philippians 4:18

Word of God
train me today...
To ever bow before You always knowing
that my righteousness alone has no life.
To accept willingly, and ever give You glory
for the right standing I receive
​only through the blood of Jesus!

Lord, I know
that since I have
received You
as Savior,
I am eternally saved.
Never to be lost.

But I must daily
receive this grace,
this righteousness.
For otherwise,
I will pridefully pick up
my old filthy rags
thinking I can be good
on my own.

Remind me, Lord,
that You are with me
always..
my strength,
my righteousness,
my good.