Shower Words

LISTEN NOW!

January 12, 2022

John 15:1-3 NIV

“I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. 2 He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful. 3 You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you.

CONSIDER THIS

You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you.

Have you ever considered that the Word of God cleanses us? 

What if we don’t have to clean ourselves up? What if, as the old hymn has it,

“He speaks and listening to his voice,
new life the dead receive.
The mournful broken hearts rejoice,
the humble poor believe.” 

What if that’s really true?

You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. 

It would mean his Word does the work. It would mean our main task is simply listening to him. Think back with me to Transfiguration Mountain. Remember after all the celestial light show was over, the voice of God thundered from Heaven,

“This is my Son, whom I love. Listen to him.” Mark 9:8. 

What if we don’t have to do all the work? In fact, what if we don’t have to do any of the work? What if our work is that of showing up, bowing down, listening to him and truly receiving his Word—which is also to receive Him. What if Jesus does all the work? 

There’s a text near the end of Ephesians 5, where Paul begins by talking about marriage. He makes an analogy to Christ and the Church. Then he get so carried away with Jesus he almost forgets he was talking about marriage in the first place. I want us to hear that word about Jesus, in just this sense, without the nuptial analogy. 

. . . Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her 26 to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word, 27 and to present her to himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless. Ephesians 5:25b-27

Jesus loved us. 
Jesus gave himself up for us. 
Jesus makes us holy.
Jesus cleanses us by the washing with water through the word.
Jesus presents us to himself as radiant, without stain, or wrinkle, or any other blemish.
Jesus presents us to himself as holy and blameless. 

What if it’s true? 

You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. 

If we can receive and believe this revelation, it will change everything. . . without us having to change everything ourselves. 

You see this notion that we have to do all (or any) of the work. There is a biblical term for that. It’s called slavery. This notion that Jesus has already done all the work and he’s looking for someone humble enough to audaciously receive it and walk on it like water. There’s a biblical term for that too. It’s called freedom. 

I like to speak this word aloud every morning when I am in the shower. As the water washes over my body, this word of Jesus rings out through my voice and into my ears where it flows straight into my soul and deepest self—like a holy, cleansing flood of freedom.

You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you.

THE PRAYER

Yes, Lord, I am already clean because of the word you have spoken to me. What a relief. I am not clean because I tried harder to be better or I focused more to not sin. I am clean because of the word you have spoken to me. Bring deep awakening to my faith to this end, to believe your word, to trust in it, to walk out onto the waves of it and find myself jubilantly alive in the freedom of your Spirit. Yes, Lord, I am already clean because you have cleansed me and no other reason. I pray in Jesus’ name, Amen. 

THE QUESTION

Why is it so hard for us to simply receive? Why do we so desperately need to feel like we are adding something to the mix, whatever it may be? Why is it so hard for us to bring absolutely nothing to the party but our naked, broken and being healed soul?  

P.S. ATTENTION PASTORS AND SHEPHERDS OF THE KINGDOM:

Here’s how one of the Pastors from last year’s PASTORS RETREAT put it:

Something about the simplicity of those short morning gatherings with Jesus in the Word of God—day by day by day, and just being together and sensing the hearts and seeing the faces of so many others just like me—it changed me. I don’t know how; I’ve been in ministry for thirty years and this hit in a way like I had never experienced.

COME ON, SHEPHERD OF THE KINGDOM! WILL YOU AT LEAST CHECK IT OUT? ALL THE DETAILS HERE. We begin  bright and early Monday, January 17. 

For the Awakening,
J.D. Walt
Sower-in-Chief
seedbed.com