Nudgings #72 - Mar. 18, "Sour Milk"
March 18, 2025
Sour Milk
“You cannot keep your milk sweet and yet let anything into your dairy; one dirty germ can sour an entire milking.” — J.H. Jowett
Blessed is the man
who walks not in the counsel of the wicked,
nor stands in the way of sinners,
nor sits in the seat of scoffers… (Psalm 1:1, ESV)
As a kid, I loved helping my grandad milk his 35 cows on his small farm. He used a vacuum system to pump the milk from the udders into stainless steel buckets, and then he vigilantly strained and filtered the milk into tall, heavy milk cans. Once full, we hammered the lids onto the cans and set them in an icy bath, ready for early morning pickup by the milk hauler.
Each week, my grandad received a check from the milk company—his reward for delivering pure milk. But occasionally, a rejection letter arrived instead. Inside was a stained piece of filter—proof that the milk he provided that week had been contaminated. Whether it was a dead fly, barn dirt, or something unseen, the result was the same: the entire day’s milking—all 35 cows’ worth—was rejected. One impurity ruined it all.
Just as a speck of dirt can spoil an entire milking, a trace of sin can sour our soul. Psalm 1:1 reveals the deadly decline—it starts small—listening to the wrong voices. Worldly counsel may seem good, but it’s not always godly, leading us down a path of doubt, selfishness, and sin. And before long, we’re seated with the scoffers—cynical, critical, and dismissive—and that small trace of sin ultimately taints our entire life.
It’s been said, “Sow a thought, reap an action; sow an action, reap a habit; sow a habit, reap a character; sow a character, reap a destiny.” The slow souring of the soul begins with a single thought, a small compromise, an unchecked influence, and over time, these choices harden into habits that ultimately shape who we become. We don’t wake up one morning dirty and distant from God—it happens gradually—one unfiltered moment at a time.
So what happens when impurities show up? The good news is that while soured milk must be discarded, a soiled soul can be restored—through Jesus, His cross, and the power of His precious blood. In 1 John 1:9, we’re given this promise: “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (ESV).
Are you vigilantly filtering your mind and guarding your heart against subtle contamination? Be sure to look to Jesus! The blessed life is not about perfection—it’s about being pure and holy in Him.