On The Soapbox!

The story has been told of a preacher and a soap maker who were walking together, when the soap maker began to question the preacher, asking, “What good is religion? There has been religion for thousands of years and yet people still treat each other badly.” The preacher was silent until they came upon a boy, dirty from playing in the street. The preacher then turned to the soap maker and asked, “What good is soap? We have had soap for thousands of years and still people get dirty.” The soap maker immediately protested such a comparison, insisting that soap had to be PUT TO USE for people to be clean. “Exactly!”, declared the preacher. “Just as religion must be APPLIED to the life in order for it to do any good.”

People get on their proverbial “soapbox” with all kinds of issues, finding fault with many aspects of life. Some of the criticism is properly directed while other is based on a misunderstanding of where the root of the problem actually rests. It is true there have been abuses through the ages in the name of “religion” (some even taking place today), but the fault has not been with what God has declared, but rather with the actions (or inactions) of mankind.

Though the Old Law was a shadow of the greater things to come ( Hebrews 10:1), it was still given as a guide to righteousness. Some would claim the Law didn’t work. Though there was a limitation to what the Law could provide in comparison to the more adequate provision we have in Christ (i.e. Hebrews 9:13-14; 10:11-12), God’s Law was intended to direct hearts to live pleasing to Him and live rightly with one another. So where did the true fault rest?

The Hebrew writer stated…
“(7) For if that first covenant had been faultless, there would have been no occasion to look for a second. (8) FOR HE FINDS FAULT WITH THEM when he says: ‘Behold, the days are coming, declares the Lord, when I will establish a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah, (9) not like the covenant that I made with their fathers on the day when I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt. For they did not continue in my covenant, and so I showed no concern for them, declares the Lord.’” ( Hebrews 8:7-9 ESV)

Unless God’s principles are APPLIED to life, it is going to be dirty and will contain that which stinks. It is only by recognizing and accepting His authority that life can be cleaned up. Through the proper APPLICATION of God’s Will our life can have a sweet aroma.

Paul exhorted the church at Ephesus to…
“(1) Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children. (2) And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, A FRAGRANT OFFERING AND SACRIFICE TO GOD.” ( Ephesians 5:1-2 ESV)

Let us live in Christ-likeness so that our life too can be a “fragrant offering” to God. The principles from Scripture that we have learned, received, heard, and seen must be PUT INTO PRACTICE ( Philippians 4:9) for there to be any benefit. According to Jesus it is those who hear God’s word and keep it who are truly blessed. ( Luke 11:28) May it always be properly APPLIED that in the end we may come forth from life smelling like a rose.

Have a great day LIVING A GOD CLEANED LIFE!
Carl

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