Key Verse: 2 Corinthians 7:1 “Therefore having these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.” For nearly as long as I can remember I have always been involved in my dad’s bee farm. The intensity and duration of my involvement changed over the years but I have always been around the bees. I have learned to appreciate a lot of things in life due to the nature of the work I’ve done with my dad. I’ve learned to appreciate a good pair of work boots, a bed, a meal, water, and definitely a good shower. I appreciate a good shower working with my dad because it doesn’t matter if we are in the honey house or in the bee yard we are going to be very nasty. If we are in the honey house we will be drenched with honey from the waste down, if we are in the bee yard we will be full of sweat, honey, smoke, and sometimes certain chemicals. It always felt good to get off work and take a nice shower. It felt good to get cleaned up. Here in 2 Corinthians 7, Paul gives his readers the same command. He urges them to get cleaned up, not physically clean, but rather spiritually, and ethically. Now Paul doesn’t just give them this command, but he also gives them a reason as to why they should get cleaned up. He bases this command off of the fact that as Christians we have promises from God. What promises is Paul referring to here? In particular he is referring to the promises that God dwells in us, walks with us, wants to accept us and be a father to us (2 Corinthians 6:16-18). As a result of these promises God gives us, as a result of Him indwelling us, walking with us and being our God we should live a holy life. We should clean ourselves up. We wash our hands of the sins in our life. The greed, jealousy, lust, bitterness. We need to take a sponge filled with the blood of Jesus and clean up. How are we going to find the motivation and discipline to do this? We find by fearing God. It is impossible to truly live for Jesus without fearing God. This means that we have a deep respect for God, but it also means that we fear Him just as child fears the disciplinary hand of his loving father. Whatever sin has dirty today, its time to get cleaned up!
