CLEANLINESS IS NEXT TO GODLINESS

Growing up, as a child when my mum is not at home, we play and sometimes we forget to do our domestic chores. At hearing the sound of her vehicle at the gate we begin to run helter-skelter trying to do our chores and ensure that the whole place is clean because woe betide you she comes in and finds the place in a mess. The remaining part of that day will be miserable for you.

My experience as a kid is likened to the relationship we often have with God regarding cleanliness. We get busy in life and do as we please not minding what the word of God says but once we encounter problem we try to live a holy life just to have access to God for deliverance or restoration. That is the only time we remember the word of God and what it implores us to do. May the Lord help us in Jesus Name, Amen.

Today's Bible reading is from Deuteronomy 23:1-end and our memory verse is from Deut. 23:14 "Because the Lord your God walks in the midst of your camp, to save you and to give up your enemies before you, therefore your camp must be holy, that He may not see anything indecent among you and turn away from you." The memory verse is interesting in that it clearly indicates that God is always in the midst of His people fighting seen and unseen battles and as such we are mandated to always be holy so as to let God dwell with us because at the sight of indecency God departs. The word of God also warned that God cannot behold iniquity meaning that God abhors it and cannot set His eyes on it let alone come in contact with it.

The message today looks to identify what it takes to be clean and attain godliness. The moment we hear cleanliness we think it means wearing a clean cloth, driving a clean car, living in a clean house etc. All of that counts but the cleanliness that is most important is the cleanliness on the inside of you. Through the guiding of the Holy Spirit am lead to make some wonderful discovery in the Bible reading of today regarding the possible dirts that can be found inside of a man and i will take them one after the other.

1. DYSFUNCTIONAL IDENTITY: In verse one of Deut.23, it says that if a man's testicles are crushed or his penis is cut off, he should not be admitted into the assembly of the Lord. The testicle of a man is the functional identity of the man, it is what make him a man because first he is a living being then by virtue of possessing testicles is a man. The spiritual connotation of this is identity. Your identity is very essential in our relationship with God. Be careful with what you do to your identity because it matters to God.
2. ILLEGITIMACY: The verse 2 of the passage again direct that a person begotten out of wedlock shall not enter into the assembly of God. A person begotten out of wedlock is called a bastard or an illegitimate child. This therefore means that God abhors every form of illegitimacy be it business or relationship. Also in Deut.23:18 it says, when you are bringing an offering to fulfill a vow, you must not bring to the house of God any offering from the earnings of a prostitute, whether a man or a woman for both are detestable to the Lord your God. God is not interested in earnings from illegitimate means.
3. IDOLATRY: The verse 4 of the passage says that because the Ammonite and Moabites did not meet you with food and water, they hired Balaam to curse you, they must not enter the assembly of God. This verse shows how God detests wickedness and idolatry. Thus idolatry breeds wicked devise and so the Lord abhors it.
4. INGRATITUDE: Verse 7 of the says; "Do not detest the Edomites or the Egyptians, because the Edomites are your relatives and you lived as foreigners among the Egyptians." Its crystal clear that the Lord demands we live a life of gratitude. In so many cases we have people complaining of how they were treated by relatives when they were living in their house forgetting that there are other relatives that refused to harbor them when they were in need of accommodation. Gratitude means appreciation and if one does not appreciate the least of kindness shown towards him/her in time of need then it will be difficult to expect gratitude from the same person when blessed for nothing.
5. GREED: In verse 19 of the passage it says, "Do not charge interest on the loans you make to a fellow Israelite, whether you loan money, or food or anything else." This verse says that you are free to engage in business transactions but do not be greedy for profit, let your profit be considerate.
6. DISTRUSTFUL: Verse 21 says, "When you make a vow to the Lord your God, be prompt in fulfilling whatever you promised Him. For the Lord your God demands that you promptly fulfill all your vows, or you will be guilty of sin." There is need for a child of God to always keep his/her word. God demands that from His children and the truth remains that if we can keep our promise to God whom we don't see then it is easy for us to keep our promise to our fellow human beings.

Till i come your way again, remain blessed.