Swabbing the deck of a ship was a dreaded job among sailors. I guess that was why captains usually punished their men by making them do it for hours and hours. And imagine having to swab the deck after a battle, with all that blood.
I am actually dealing with a “swabby” situation today. I was doing a project and managed to get glue all over my hands. When I went to wash it off, some glue refused to let go of my fingers. I am still peeling it off as I write this.
Just like the glue on my fingers, I sometimes can be quite stubborn. I don’t want to let some things go. I fight against what I know is right, and won’t quit until I get my way. But in the end, I’m fighting a losing battle, for God wins every time!
The mind of sinful man is death, but the mind controlled by the Spirit is life and peace; the sinful mind is hostile to God. It does not submit to God’s law, nor can it do so. Those controlled by the sinful nature cannot please God (Romans 8:6–8 NIV).
Before we are saved, we are out of control; we have no direction. Once we are saved, God takes control and begins a work in us through His Spirit. We can try and fight it, but God will wear us down and help us to give up our sinful ways. He never gives up on us!
People who knew us before we were saved may not see results in us right away, but we know that our lives have already changed for the better. In time, God’s light will shine through the way we live our lives.
You, however, are controlled not by the sinful nature but by the Spirit, if the Spirit of God lives in you. And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Christ (Romans 8:9 NIV).
If I continue to pick and scrub, the glue on my hands will eventually come off, and my hands will be squeaky clean once again.
For if you live according to the sinful nature, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live, because those who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God (Romans 8:13–14 NIV).
We are all a work in progress. God is molding us, and even though we get “stuck” once in a while, He is patient. Just like that deck that needs to be swabbed, we need God, who will continue to “swab” our lives and make them clean.
Debbie Mitchell