Cleanliness Is
Related To Godliness
Most people do not delight or take pleasure in doing dirty work. On the job,
there are tasks which are necessary and someone has to do them. Most people
do not like doing various tasks, and I think primarily, that they are not told
the importance of this job to the company, nor are they told that failure to
do this job could cause harm to the company that employs them.
Cleaning toilets and bath rooms is a dirty job of cleaning up after others.
We all know the importance of a restroom in a public facility. We also know
that if it is not cleaned, the health department could fine them, and usually
the the greater harm to the company is because people will not want to return
to that business. Every business is dependent upon repeat business for survival.
There are also advantages to keeping oneself clean and neat. Our general health
depends upon how well we maintain our bodies. Besides, who wants to be around
someone who stinks? A person who cleans them self has a general sense of self-esteem,
and such sense can be contagious. Many people want to be around those who have
such self-esteem, because somehow, they also receive certain blessings just
by being in their company. Sure, there are dirty people who can be very nice
in character, but given the choice, I am sure many will choose the clean friend
over the dirty friend.
But the most important thing that needs to be clean in our lives is our spiritual
condition. Sin is depicted in the scriptures as something unclean. It is described
as something we would call filthy. Unfortunately, we cannot cleanse this sin
from our lives by ourselves. Once we have sinned, we are separated from a relationship
with God (Isaiah 59:2), and we cannot come back to God until we have ourselves
cleansed. How do we do this? We have to go to the cleansing source. Jesus Christ
died upon the cross so that our sins may be washed away in baptism (Acts 22:16).
Only then will be cleansed enough to be welcomed into the family of God. We
must do our part by hearing and obeying the voice of the Lord. That means we
learn His commandments and do them. We must make the effort to keep ourselves
clean after God has cleansed us by the blood of Christ in a symbolic sense.
We must change our former ways and stop the sin happening in our lives. This
change comes about because of a change of heart. No longer do we live for ourselves,
but we live for a much higher cause. That cause is godliness. Godliness is that
quality of keeping spiritual thoughts in our minds constantly, recognizing that
doing God's will is the ultimate compliment paid to God, and doing God's will
brings Him glory and honor. Why don't you do your part to bring honor and glory
to God.
Cleanse yourself, ask God to cleanse you, and live a faithful clean life free
from sin. How do we do this?
Leviticus 16:30 "For on that day shall the priest make an atonement for
you, to cleanse you, that ye may be clean from all your sins before the LORD".
Before Christ came, the High Priest would enter the most holy place once a year.
This was the Day Of Atonement. We should also realize that once our sins are
cleansed from us, we should strive not to sin again in the same way.
Psalm 51:2 "Wash me thoroughly from mine iniquity, and cleanse me from
my sin. Only God can forgive sin. And we will see that for our sins to be cleansed,
we must do it God's way."
Psalm 119:9 "Wherewithal shall a young man cleanse his way? by taking heed
thereto according to thy word." Taking heed according to God's word means
we study, learn, and apply the teachings therein unto our lives.
In some prophetic language, Jeremiah wrote about a time when people's sins will
be washed away. Jeremiah 33:8 "And I will cleanse them from all their iniquity,
whereby they have sinned against me; and I will pardon all their iniquities,
whereby they have sinned, and whereby they have transgressed against me."
Remember that our iniquities separate us from God, and God will do this on a
condition that these people seek to be pleasing to God in all things.
2Corinthians 7:1 "Having therefore these promises, dearly beloved, let
us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting
holiness in the fear of God." God has made these promises to us, but it
is up to us to obey the Lord's commands. How do we cleanse ourselves? 1John
1:9 "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our
sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness."
By Carey Scott
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