![]() And there are some people who love darkness rather than light, as John said of some during the time of Jesus (John 3:19).īut we shouldn’t assume that is always the case. We maybe like to think it’s our holiness that’s putting people off. Consider them graveclothes! Do you want to walk around wearing smelly graveclothes? Offending those around you, believers and unbelievers alike?Ĭhristians aren’t always viewed positively in our world today. Get rid of all these things because we have taken off “the old self with its practices” (Colossians 3:9, NIV). Paul adds to the list in Ephesians 4, echoing the idea of putting off those things that belonged to our old, dead self:įalsehood. (We’ve looked at this before, but it’s so important it’s worth visiting the topic again.) Things that belong to our former way of life. Paul lets us know some of the things that we should leave behind. We Christians shouldn’t be- we cannot be-adding more. There is enough around these days that offends the senses. We don’t want them kicking us out of the house, or the office, or out of their lives. We don’t want those around us to be wrinkling their noses in disgust at the smell of things better left in the grave. And we need to rid ourselves of the smelly graveclothes. God has given us believers new life as well. All that was left was to get rid of those graveclothes. He knew that Lazarus’ body was not stinking, rotting flesh. She was likely thinking of the dead body, but I’m pretty sure that by that time those graveclothes would have been rather odiferous too. Remember when Jesus told people to roll away the stone from Lazarus’ grave? Martha told him that since Lazarus had by then been dead for four days, there would certainly be an odor. Why?īecause we forget to take off the graveclothes. Or maybe all of us stink at some time or other. And let me tell you, chicken manure stinks! And, unfortunately, he couldn’t clean up until he got home.Īnd that’s when I kicked him out of the house. If he misjudged things, he got sprayed, not by a skunk but with chicken manure. Then he’d have to up the pressure, take a steel post, and shove it up the tube, trying to dislodge the blockage. What really upped the stench though was when something blocked the outlet tube. And just being around that for a while makes you stink. Once the tank was full, he’d haul it out to the fields and spread it. Larry was to load up the tank (honey wagon to some), sucking out the manure from a pit under the chicken house. it also involved working with chicken manure. And helping out our friend involved driving a tractor. And what he loves most about farming is driving the tractor. My very kind husband offered to help a church member with some farm work. It happened during our first year of marriage. Have you ever had to send your spouse out of the house because they simply reeked? I have. Have you ever smelled something so raunchy it makes you gag? A skunk who’d let loose? Filthy gym clothes that had been stuffed in a locker for an entire semester? A dead animal? ![]()
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