Clean Thy Room!

Sunday, September 24, 2023

“For this cause also thank we God without ceasing, because, when ye received the word of God which ye heard of us, ye received it not as the word of men, but as it is in truth, the word of God which effectually worketh also in you that believe” (1 Thessalonians 2:13 KJV).

If we want God’s Word to effectually work in us, we must know and believe it.

For over 15 years now, I have played a role in raising my nephew. One chore I frequently give him is to clean his room, and he offers various excuses in attempts to avoid responsibility. Recently, when I issued the instruction, he protested, “I cleaned it the other day.” Indeed, as I explained to him, he did clean his room before, but since then it had become disorganized again. Trash on the floor needed to be picked up, dirty clothes should be put into the laundry basket, and so on. Cleaning is not just a one-time activity; it must be done frequently before disorder sets in and develops into a condition nearly impossible to reverse.

Bible study is a cleansing process too. “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God” (Romans 12:1,2). To “renew” means “renovate, give fresh life or strength to, restore, or make a change for the better.”

Following the course (path) of Satan (see Ephesians 2:2), the lost world around us continuously influences us to drift from sound Bible doctrine. Thus, it is not enough to occasionally read a Bible verse, or hear a Bible passage at church. It must be daily, personal Bible study. If we are not mindful of sound Bible doctrine, the world’s nonsensical teaching will accumulate in us and pollute us. As we must clean our bedroom and house regularly, there must be a steady diet of Bible study. Again, it is not just one time, but over and over again—for, do we not tend to forget what we have learned?