Pastor Sam Crosby
San Saba’s First Baptist Church
December 31, 2019
It has been many years since a wise rancher showed me the trick on how to clean the glass on a wood stove. He took a paper towel, dampened it with water, and dipped it in the ashes from the stove. He then wiped it over the blackened glass on the inside of the stove door. Like magic, the hardened soot turned loose and the glass sparkled. My efforts at using an assortment of products didn’t come close to the ease with which he cleaned the glass with ashes, water and a paper towel. It sure brings a beautiful fire into clearer view.
A new year is a great time to clean the glass through which you look at life. We all have a worldview based on assumptions, true or not, which affect our choices and behavior. Our world strives to color that view by questioning the Bible, promoting pleasure, encouraging greed and exalting self. Our thinking is often tainted by the culture’s values and philosophies. We think we are seeing things clearly but do not realize how the soot of this world has distorted our view.
The Word of God has the power to bring things back into spiritual focus. David declared in Psalms 19:8, “The commands of the LORD are radiant, giving light to the eyes” (NIV). Spiritual eyes that have been darkened by lies of the enemy and sin in the heart are suddenly enlightened to see clear again by the Word of God. Like ashes and water on blackened glass, God’s Word cleanses our heart with gentle abrasion and quickens our conscience to God’s Spirit. Because of love for His bride, the Church, Jesus is described in Ephesians 5:26 “…that He might sanctify and cleanse her with the washing of water by the word,…” (NKJV). This is not about being washed in His blood, which is forgiveness, but about being washed in His Word, which is transformation toward holiness. The Word of God changes the way we view the world and the way we live in it!
There are few habits that have as much potential to change your life as daily Bible reading and Scripture memory. A new year is a good time to start a fresh habit of spending a few minutes in the Scriptures each day. Also, make a new commitment to Bible study and worship. The weekly gathering of God’s people around His Word will encourage your walk with God. I personally invite your this Sunday to San Saba’s First Baptist Church where we will begin a study in the book of Hebrews entitled, “Hebrews 2020: A Clear Vision of Jesus.”