For the past
five weeks, maybe more, I have found something rather despicable in our church
building. Each week when we arrive at
the space we rent for our church, we all have our separate responsibilities to
do before members and guests begin arriving.
I always go check the bathrooms and make sure there is toilet paper, a
clean towel on the rack and then I spray something to make it smell better. Both bathrooms are old and we have had major
problems with the plumbing, so there is just that old musty building smell,
know what I mean? I did put plug in’s in
there but the ladies thought it would run up the electric
bill. (rolling my eyes) so, the bathrooms
get a weekly dose of pinesol instead. That usually lasts long enough for the service
to conclude without anyone complaining.
Plus, pinesol always makes things smell clean anyway.
Here while back
as I went about my bathroom checking, I started noticing that the toilet in the
children’s area off of the kitchen was always not flushed. At first I just pulled the chord and flushed
it while holding my nose and reaching for the pinesol. But after several weeks finding the same stinky situation, I became quite aggravated. Of course my first suspicion
was my own children (poor souls). I went
OFF on them reminding them we are not animals that do things like that and how
could they treat the house of God so poorly, etc. etc. etc. They swore up and down that they had nothing
to do with it, but being the mean mom I am, I gave them the evil eye and speech
to go with it for good measure.
When the next
Sunday rolled around after my tirade about cleanliness is next to godliness, I
marched towards the offensive bathroom at church and lo and behold there was a
dirty bowl, AGAIN. Dude….I was
upset! I knew it wasn’t my children and
I knew there had not been English classes during the week, so the only
reasonable conclusion was that someone had used a key and the facilities on the sly. I resolved that I am
going to catch them….well, hopefully not in the act, but I am going to get to
the bottom of all this. (no pun
intended)
Why am I
telling this fascinatingly gross story?
Because as I mulled over how mad this bathroom person is making me, I
stopped and realized, I do this to God, EVERY. SINGLE. DAY. I use the body
and mind and spirit HE has given me and allowed me to inhabit here on earth and
I sin. I sin and I don’t take care of
it. I leave it harboring and festering
without confessing it and repenting right away.
You can lower
your self-righteous nose now because you know you do it too. We are all guilty of letting sin slide
without looking at it for what it really is, disgusting. No, we may not be snorting cocaine or
cheating on our husbands or robbing a bank every day, but we do sin and sin is
sin is sin is sin. There is no
difference!
1.
Sometimes
we lie. And what does the Bible say
about that? It’s an abomination.
Proverbs
12:22 Lying lips are
abomination to the LORD: but they that deal truly are his delight.
2.
Sometimes
we say mean things. And what does the Bible say about that? We shouldn’t speak evil of
each other.
James
4:11-12 Speak not evil one
of another, brethren. He that speaketh evil of his brother, and judgeth
his brother, speaketh evil of the law, and judgeth the law: but if thou judge
the law, thou art not a doer of the law, but a judge. There is one lawgiver,
who is able to save and to destroy: who art thou that judgest another?
3.
Sometimes
we are proud. And what does the Bible
say about that? God hates it.
Proverbs
6:16-17 These six things
doth the LORD hate: yea, seven are an abomination unto him: A proud
look, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood,
Look, I could
make a nice long list of daily offenses, but I think you get my drift. We need to take inventory of our own selves
during the day and see if there is anything we are NOT getting rid of when we
should. James 4:17 Therefore to
him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin. If we know we should be confessing and
repenting, and we don’t do it, well, that is just adding more sin!
I know you
think this is a “downer” post and I won’t get a lot of pats on the back for
writing it, but maybe it will strike home with one of you like it did me and
you can take some time making some things right in your life. Don’t fall prey to the “God forgive me and
help me” quick prayer! Get down on your
face and spend some time asking His Spirit to search the corners of your heart
for anything that might be standing in between your soul and the Saviour! He will point it out and you can take care of
it.
Are we forgiven
and on our way to Heaven? I am. But while I am down here waging the war
against this old flesh, I have to keep my relationship with Him clear. Best thing about it? His mercy and grace and forgiveness are a lot
more powerful than my generic pinesol! ;)
1 John 1:9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
Until next
time, Lord willing,
Sheri
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