I remember hearing the teaching that filthy rags, which our own works of righteousness are likened to by God, were in fact menstrual rags. The teaching, as I recall it all those years ago was suggesting that God was trying to make the point that would be graphic enough to get our attention. Well, the Holy Spirit showed me that there was more to it than that.
 
Remember Eve’s curse in the garden? God was pointing us in that direction. Disobeying God did not make her like God but brought death instead, just as God had said it would. Likewise, our attempt at righteousness is dead works that cannot produce life. In the same way that a menstruation is representative of a life that potentially could have been but did not occur and therefore is expelled and causes these filthy rags. Yes this is graphic, but being graphic for grossness’ sake was not really God’s point.
 
His point was that any attempt on our part to impress Him with things that we do on our own, no matter how good the intention, is not going to be a good work. He must be involved with us and even the instigator of any good work and we the willing participant. Remember there will be many who will say to Jesus that they have done many “good works” in His name yet He will say depart from me for I never “knew” you. In other words, there is the intimacy involved in true good works that produce a work even as an intimacy between a husband and wife produces a new life of a baby. Sorry if this sounds strange.
 
The point is that we cannot produce good works on our own anymore than a woman could produce a new baby by herself. A miracle is required by God in both cases. After all, it is a relationship with us that God is looking for. As we submit to the Holy Spirit, and follow His will in a given circumstance, He will lead us in a way that requires faith. As we follow His lead and trust Him, even though it may go against our own way, a miracle of faith is able to take place and mountains are able to be moved, and God is glorified.
 
This should happen on a daily basis. It can be dramatic but it can also be occurring quietly within you so as not to come with great show and fanfare. Each occurrence causes you to be more submitted to Him and your faith and trust and knowledge of Him and His ways grows. These are the works that ought to be in our lives, which bear the fruit of the Spirit; love, peace, joy, etc. This can begin right now as you do what the scripture calls "Waiting on the Lord".
 
So what is waiting on the Lord? Next time...
 
Barry Amundsen