Keep it clean

There is a story in the Old Testament that God teaches to Isreal when they were rebelling against Him that can be applied to us today...

In Ezekiel 16, God bestows His love upon this women.

And by the end of the chapter, she gives herself into prostitution, and places idols above God.

God begins the chapter by reminding this women of how she was before she received God's grace.

He said to her, "I saw you wallowing in your blood, and I made you flourish like a plant in the field" (Ezek 16:6).

This statement reminded me of how Jesus cleanses us from our sin.

Sin had left a crimson stain and Jesus washes us white as snow!

When we believe that Jesus is our ultimate savior, and our identity is found solely in Him, we are cleansed from our sin.

He goes on then to remind her of the beauty that she receive's through being a child of God...

"I clothed you also with embroidered cloth and shod you with fine leather. I wrapped you in fine linen and covered you with silk. And I adorned you with ornaments and put bracelets on your wrists and a chain on your neck. And I put a ring on your nose and earrings in your ears and a beautiful crown on your head...You grew exceedingly beautiful and advanced to royalty" (Ezek. 16:10-13).

For thousands of years, jewelry has been a way of expressing our love towards one another.

It tells the other person that they are beautiful, cared for, and worth all the money it may have costed.

God was reminding this women of His love for her.

He shows us His love in different ways.

Sadly, we are not always going to receive a parachute from heaven full of diamonds and gold jewelry when we are feeling unloved by God.

No, that's not the message God is trying to convey here...

He is communicating to all of us that He loves us so much that He would do anything for us. I mean anything!!!

He looks upon each and every one of us, despite our flaws and insecurities and all he sees is beauty.

But sadly, despite all of the things He bestows on us, and blesses us with, we often loose sight of them.

In the rest of Ezekiel 16 it shows that despite God giving us this beauty; this inheritance of eternal life, the women still turned away from Him.

He goes on..

"And then you took all that fine jewelry I gave you, my gold and my silver, and made pornographic images of them for your brothels. You decorated your beds with fashionable silks and cottons, and perfumed them with my aromatic oils and incense. And then you set out the wonderful foods I provided—the fresh breads and fruits, with fine herbs and spices, which were my gifts to you—and you served them as delicacies in your whorehouses." (Ezek. 16:17-19).

Although we may not be rebelling against God in that type of way, there are many ways in which we do.

We may put our jobs before him, our status, relationships, money, possessions, etc.

Those beautiful riches that God refers to as fine jewelry, gold and silver, silk, oils, herbs and spices He uses as an example to represent the gifts He blesses us with as His beloved children.

These gifts that we often forget that we have...

-we are equipped through Christ with "every spiritual blessing"(Eph.5:3)

-chosen in Him "before the foundation of the world"(Eph.5:4)

-regarded as "holy and blameless before Him"(Eph.5:4)

-adopted as sons and daughters(Eph.5:5)

-redeemed and forgiven(Eph 5:7-8)

-recipients of a glorious inheritance in heaven(Eph.5:11)

All of these gifts we already have, God has already gifted them to us.

The question is, are you leaving these beautiful gifts wrapped up, and shoved into the back of your closet?

Where all of your clothes begin to pile on top of and eventually you forget that those gifts ever existed.

Neglected and forgotten.

I don't know about you, but if I were to give someone a gift that I took the time to wrap in beautiful wrapping paper just to find out that they shoved it into the back of their closet only to be piled below dirty laundry and shoes, I would be hurt.

I would feel forgotten and neglected.

And that is exactly how God feels when we put things before Him.

This story in Ezekiel about this women who chose prostitution, making it her idol above God, she lost sight of those gifts that God had given her.

My question to you today is what are you placing above God?

Those dirty clothes that continue to pile up and push you further away from God's truth.

What in your life is fixing your focus away from God?

Are you losing sight of the truths that God has already placed on your heart?

God continues to bestow His love upon each and every one of us, are we reciprocating His love back or giving it to other things?

Dear God,

I pray over anyone reading this today.

I pray that we will let go of those things that we so easily cling to.

I pray that we will learn from the story in Ezekiel 16,

and recognize the love you give to us each and every day.

I pray that we will be so saturated in your love that there is no room for anything else in our hearts that will steer us away from you.

Thank you that you love us despite the times that we fall away from you.

In your name I pray, Amen.