08.31.01

The night is far spent, the day is at hand. Therefore let us cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armor of light. Let us walk properly, as in the day, not in revelry and drunkenness, not in lewdness and lust, not in strife and envy. But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to fulfill its lusts. - Romans 13:12-14.

Yesterday I took care of one of my important duties in the home, which is to take out the trash. Growing up on a farm that was one of my duties (chores) - to take out and burn the trash. I caught the side of the chicken house on fire once but was able to put it out with a garden hose before there was too much damage. Surprisingly enough my parents continued to entrust me with that chore. Living now in an isolated rural community the trash truck comes by once a week on Thursday and if you forget well it's another week. But this is much better than it was a few years ago when you had to burn all of your trash and if you had a burn ban you were in trouble.

What happens if I forget to take out the trash? The trash piles up and eventually even when bagged in heavy plastic bags it begins to smell. The longer I wait to take it out the more space the trash requires and the more the smell is magnified. It works the same way spiritually. Those who are working the “works of darkness” have a trash problem. The longer they are making “provision for the flesh” the more the spiritual trash piles up. The more the spiritual trash piles up the more the spiritual stink can be smelled. It just becomes worse and worse.

What is the solution? It is really a simple one. We just need to take out the trash. “Cast off the works of darkness” and put on the “armor of light.” Cast off the revelry, drunkenness, lewdness, lust, strife, envy, and other works of the flesh and “put on the Lord Jesus Christ.”