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Spiritual Hygiene
Sunday, January 29, 2023
The Lord does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart. 1 Sam. 16:7, NIV.
I’ve noticed that my devotion to hygiene seems to vary depending on the time and place. For example, in the typical restaurant I can be downright finicky. If I was served a meal with a bug in my potato or seated at a table that wasn’t free of crumbs or other debris, I would be outraged. Should my plate have dried-on food from the previous meal, I would be indignant. If I dropped my spoon on the carpeted floor, I would demand a replacement. A greasy saltshaker would raise a protest. And if I knew that the cook’s hands were dirty, I might even notify the health department.
However, on a weekend backpacking trip a miraculous transformation occurs. When cooking over the open fire, are the chef’s hands dirty? No problem—mine are dirty too. Is my plate a little gritty from the last meal? That’s OK; it’s just food. We dine on the ground with the dirt as our tablecloth and think nothing of it. If we drop a spoon in the dirt, we simply wipe it off on our dirty pants and continue eating. And of course, if a bug flies into our food, we just shovel out the unwanted pest, flick it away, and without disrupting the rhythm of the meal, we dine on. Quite a double standard, I admit!
Jesus condemned the Pharisees for their double standard in the realm of spiritual hygiene. He declared: “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You clean the outside of the cup and dish, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence” (Matt. 23:25, NIV).
Spiritual hygiene calls for cleansing the inside, not a superficial once-over for human praise. When I analyze my own relationship with God, I remember my illogical and intermittent devotion to personal hygiene, and pray the prayer of Simon Peter: “Lord, not my feet only, but [wash] also my hands and my head” (John 13:9).
Dear Lord, wash my heart and mind with Your Holy Spirit so that I might be spiritually clean. Amen.
I’ve noticed that my devotion to hygiene seems to vary depending on the time and place. For example, in the typical restaurant I can be downright finicky. If I was served a meal with a bug in my potato or seated at a table that wasn’t free of crumbs or other debris, I would be outraged. Should my plate have dried-on food from the previous meal, I would be indignant. If I dropped my spoon on the carpeted floor, I would demand a replacement. A greasy saltshaker would raise a protest. And if I knew that the cook’s hands were dirty, I might even notify the health department.
However, on a weekend backpacking trip a miraculous transformation occurs. When cooking over the open fire, are the chef’s hands dirty? No problem—mine are dirty too. Is my plate a little gritty from the last meal? That’s OK; it’s just food. We dine on the ground with the dirt as our tablecloth and think nothing of it. If we drop a spoon in the dirt, we simply wipe it off on our dirty pants and continue eating. And of course, if a bug flies into our food, we just shovel out the unwanted pest, flick it away, and without disrupting the rhythm of the meal, we dine on. Quite a double standard, I admit!
Jesus condemned the Pharisees for their double standard in the realm of spiritual hygiene. He declared: “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You clean the outside of the cup and dish, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence” (Matt. 23:25, NIV).
Spiritual hygiene calls for cleansing the inside, not a superficial once-over for human praise. When I analyze my own relationship with God, I remember my illogical and intermittent devotion to personal hygiene, and pray the prayer of Simon Peter: “Lord, not my feet only, but [wash] also my hands and my head” (John 13:9).
Dear Lord, wash my heart and mind with Your Holy Spirit so that I might be spiritually clean. Amen.
Used by permission of Health Ministries, North American Division of Seventh-day Adventists.
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