It never ceases to amaze me the timeliness of God! I was perusing through what my friend calls ‘my personal library’ and I came across my dusted up copy of ‘Voices of the Faithful‘ by Beth Moore and Kim P. Davis. (Sorry its dusted up Beth – please forgive me!)

This amazing daily devotional is compiled of inspirional stories from Christian’s serving around the world and it grabbed my attention. So I opened to today’s date, April 21 and read.

Contaminated No Longer was the title – how timely! As I began to read the theme verse, my heart stilled.

“Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ… You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly… but God demonstrates his own love for us in this while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”

– Romans 5:1,6 & 8

A Gentile woman in the middle of Jerusalem, out of her own culture and norms entered a store with a Muslim shopkeeper. After receiving help from him she extended her hand as a ‘thank you’. His response was breathtaking.

He would not reach out and shake her hand, instead he explained that he was on his way to prayers and could not touch her.

“Religiously, I am considered a contaminant to the people I live among.”

That is sadly the norm in many countries! A daily reminder of being ‘unclean’.

Right now we are in the heat of a pandemic where we are facing physical contamination! Worry and fear are sweeping our nation – this world!

But what about our spiritual contamination – sin? Is that a worry and fear sweeping our nation? This world? Sin has been around longer than any virus, in fact, sin caused these viruses! The decay that sin brought into this world is far more deadly than this virus.

Now, I want to make very clear right now, that I am not downplaying the severity of this pandemic! My heart aches for all those lives lost and the constant fear that has paralyzed the greatest truth this world has ever known, hope!

The Gentile woman continued to share,

“As I replayed these experiences in my head, I saw my sinfulness in a fresh way. Yet new gratitude came for the Holy One. He is not defiled by me. Instead, in Grace, he has actually imputed his own righteousness to me.”

Even though we are consumed by the contamination of sin, there was still One who loved us enough to take our unclean, broken pieces and make us clean, and whole! His very act of love was our cure! And it’s because of His cure that we have a living hope!

Do YOU have that living hope? Do you know, without a doubt that Christ is NOT defiled by your sin? He wouldn’t just shake your hand if you reached for Him, He would openly, graciously and lovingly embrace you!

I don’t know about you, but as a hugger and a sinner, this warms my heart in SO many ways! This devotional shared was written 15 years ago! And yet, TODAY the truth is timely! My prayer is that your heart is not only touched by this timely truth, but transformed by it!

“He took our illnesses and bore our diseases.”

– Matthew 8:17

*CHALLENGE: Is there spiritual contamination in your life? Do you need a cure? I encourage you today, no matter where you are in your walk with the Lord, or even if you may not have made that decision yet, but to STOP right now and take a moment to PRAY for this worlds contamination, physical and spiritual! And pray for the cure to be known to all who seek it!

Lord God Almighty, we are contaminated! And we need a cure! We need THE cure only found in You! May all of us, take a moment today and see the need of Your Presence in this world. Please Lord, soften the hearts of those hesitant and use those willing to do as You called us to do, “confess our sins to one another and pray for one another, that we may be healed.” (James 5:16) Heal us, mind, body and spirit! Thank You for providing a cure! In Your Name, Amen.