Read Psalm 51:1-10
“Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me” (v. 10).
My mom loved planting trees. Sometimes the trees she ordered arrived looking like lifeless twigs.  With proper care in planting and nourishment, however,we would soon have a foliage-filled tree bearing beautiful, delicious fruit.  God has a desire for every human being ever conceived to live such a wholesome life with a guilt-free, purified, and loyal heart toward Him.
Why would we remain a "lifeless twig" when we can have an abundant life?  This doesn'tmean our lives will always be easy, with no sorrow, health concerns, or broken relationships.  Those are often the tools of cultivation and means of nourishment that produce the sweetest fruit.  With God's plan of growth through repentance and forgiveness, we can prevail through all this world's storms of sin.  We can have a victorious, peaceful, and bountiful life, knowing we have a whiter-than-snow heart, a home in heaven, and a Savior, who has it all under control. (Wanda Skeen)

Lord Jesus, I long to be perfectly whole;
I want Thee forever to live in my soul.
Break down every idol, cast out every foe;
Now wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.
Whiter than snow, yes, whiter than snow.
Now wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.
- James Nicholson (Public Domain)

Forsake sin and live free and clean.

This devotional is the Sunday, October 23, 2016 entry of Opening the Word.