Clean Up

2 Corinthians 7:1
Because we have these promises, dear friends, let us cleanse ourselves from everything that can defile our body or spirit. And let us work toward complete holiness because we fear God. (NLT)

My mother taught me that cleanliness is next to godliness. You may have heard the same thing. And before we sat down to eat a meal I had to wash my hands to clean them of all the dirt of the day. We did not want all that dirt mixed into the delicious meal she had prepared.

Now we are told in the newspapers, on television, and on email how important it is to wash our hands throughout the day. What we pick up from shaking someone's hand, handling money, pumping gas, and even just opening a public door can give us something we may not want. It is a way that viruses get propagated throughout society-anything from the common cold, to the H1N1 virus, to AIDS.

As believers we want spiritual food and look to the Holy Spirit to help us obtain it. We want all we can get but often forget about washing up before eating. Just like soap and water before a natural meal, we need to clean up our act if we expect to move out spiritually.

How can we keep doing the things we did before we were saved and expect to fully receive all that God has for us? He has promised us much, but we need to cleanse ourselves from everything that can defile our body or spirit. Not some things, but everything. This is how we work toward complete holiness.