Early Friday morning I woke up, turned over and tried to go back to sleep. In that half awake state I had a vision. I saw myself lying there looking up at the ceiling. There I saw a bunch of tiny black caterpillars making a nest in one corner. Each was less than a half an inch long, but they were busily working away at their spider-web like nest, about a foot in diameter. As I lay there, I thought in my mind, should I clean those things out now, or try to get back to sleep and do it later.

Then, I had the awareness that if I did not do it now, the nest would get larger and larger, the caterpillars would multiply in number and size, and the task would become more and more difficult. I was suddenly awake and aware that God had just revealed Himself to me. The lesson was clear. If we Christians don’t act now to clean areas of our lives up, the task only increases and gets more difficult. Those caterpillars were making a home, not just visiting. It was a lesson on sin and holiness.

Tags: dreams, holiness, sin

Aaron Wilburn said that one of the main differences between men and women is that if you want to know if a shirt is dirty or clean, a woman will look it over, but a man will smell it. A boy was dressing to go out for the evening. He called to his mother who was in the adjoining room. “Mom, is this shirt dirty?” Without so much as looking she replied, “Yes, it’s dirty. Get a clean one.”

When he had dressed he entered his mother’s room and inquired how she knew the shirt was dirty when she had not even looked at it. “If it had been clean,” she replied, “you would have known it and would not have asked me. Remember, son, if it’s doubtful, it’s dirty.”

There a sermon in this little story. If it’s doubtful, it’s dirty.

Tags: holiness, sin

Once upon a time there was a prince and a peasant who fell in love. They were so different. He was the stately prince. She was the common peasant. He was peerless but she was plain. She was not ugly, but she could be and often was. She was solemn, moody, sour, cranky and selfish – not the kind of soul you’d want to live with, but to the prince she was the kind of soul he could not live without. He proposed to her and she said yes. And he promised, “I’ll return for you soon.”

The oddity was not in his departure, but in her behavior while he was gone. She continually forgot that she was engaged. Some who were closest to her never heard her talk about it. There were even times when she was seen on the arm of other men. She forgot that she was engaged.

This is the story of the church, the Bride of Christ who often forgets She is engaged while She flirts with the world. How’re you doing?

Tags: church, fables, holiness

For the next couple of days I want us to talk about Holiness. I observed a great object lesson on holiness a couple of years ago. I traveled to Manaus, Brazil, to participate in a dedication service for a new church building we had helped to finance. Manaus is a rapidly growing city in the heart of the Amazon rain forest. In Manaus two major river systems converge: the Negro River and the Amazon River.

The Negro River is named such because of its color. The Negro’s pure waters are tinted black from decaying leaves at the bottom. However, the Amazon’s churning waters are murky with light brown mud eroded from the Andes Mountains. When these two rivers converge, for miles one side of the river is black, while the other side is brown. But after a few miles, the waters merge. And guess which side wins. You’re right, the pure waters do not purify the muddy waters, but the muddy waters contaminate the pure waters and the entire Amazon River continues on its muddy brown path.

Paul wrote in 2 Corinthians 6:14-15: “Do not be yoked together with unbelievers. For what does righteousness and wickedness have in common? Or what fellowship can light have with darkness? What harmony is there between Christ and Belial? What does a believer have in common with an unbeliever?“

Tags: holiness, river

H. C. Morrison was the founder of Asbury Theological Seminary. Morrison came to Christ as a farm worker, plowing in a field one day, when he saw an old Methodist preacher coming by on his horse. Morrison knew the elderly gentleman to be a gracious, godly man. As he watched the old saint go by, a great sense of conviction of sin came over Morrison and he dropped to his knees. There between the furrows in his field, alone, he gave his life to God.

Reflecting on this testimony, Billy Graham earnestly prayed, “Oh, God, make me a holy man.” Wouldn’t it be wonderful if ordinary people could so dedicate our lives to Christ, that when we walked or drove past people would come under conviction by the Holy Spirit within us. That’s my goal and desire.

“If these things are yours and abound, you will be neither barren or unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ” (2 Peter 1:8).

Tags: conviction, holiness, righteousness, witness

Easter comes this year as early as it can on the calendar.  Easter is a season of spring breaks and getting ready for warmer weather.  It is a season for tulips and robins and mud and spring cleaning.  Its also a season when people go shopping for warmer clothes.

But did you ever think of it being a season of revival in a person’s spiritual life? As people begin to look outward from the winter seclusion, it is also often a time when people attempt to make improvements in their homes as well as their lives.  The cross is all about improvements in the life of a believer.  The Book of Ephesians is a great teaching about the believer being in an exalted spiritual position.  But it ends by challenging the reader to live according to this exalted spiritual position.  Its a challenge to a life of holiness that draws attention to Jesus, not us.

The classic parable of the Prodigal Son is also a story of personal improvement.  The son went back home, but his attitude was never the same.  He was now the new and improved version.  When Legion was delivered of the multitude of demons, his life was dramatically improved.  Prior to the resurrection, Peter cowardly denied Jesus three times.  After the resurrection, the same Peter boldly declared the resurrection of Christ before multitudes.  His ministry had been vastly improved.

Let’s take some time this Easter season to do some spring cleaning inwardly.  Let’s be transformed by the renewing of our minds.

Tags: cross, Easter, holiness, improvement, spring, transformation