Author: Clarence W Fell

Publisher:

Published: 2020-02-17

Total Pages: 32

ISBN-13:

Excerpts from the book...In order to clean the house, you must see the dirt. Cleaning house is not usually fun and entertaining. Children do not get excited when momma says it's time to clean house. Many people postpone it, procrastinate, or just ignore the dirt. In time they develop blind spots and do not see the dirt. They think they are doing themselves a favor because their blind spots keep them from doing the unpleasant work of cleaning the house. After all, if they don't see the dirt then why get all dirty and sweaty cleaning house. It is easier to simply pretend that the dirt doesn't exist....But living in a dirty house has its drawbacks. It might cause health problems. Clutter could be a falling hazard. It may also cause feelings of loneliness and rejection when other people choose to avoid the dirty house. ...Jesus told the Pharisees that they had a dirty "house." Jesus was not being mean. He was trying to help the Pharisees and everyone else, because if we want to clean the house, we must see the dirt. It might not be pleasant. It may initially require work, but in the long run it leads to a happier and healthier life....Imagine a person that wants their house to be as clean, healthy, and happy as possible. This person is not only looking for obvious dirt, but also looking for the little things, the hidden dirt. They may also identify things that they need to upgrade or remodel. Some things may not be dirty, but just old and outdated. ... The Pharisees made the common mistake of focusing on other houses and ignoring their own. They held people to higher standard than they expected of themselves. It was all merely a ploy to divert attention away from their own problems. As long as they could point their finger at other people, they could feel spiritual without actually doing the hard work of spirituality.... The Pharisees made a room look great by stuffing things behind the couch and sweeping things under the rug. As long as no one opened a closet door, the house looked clean and organized.... They were obsessed with their outer appearance and ignored terminal spiritual problems. They did not want a clean house. They did not want to take the spiritual journey. They only wanted the praise of men. As long as they had applause, they had what they wanted. ... When the Pharisees brought someone into their house, they taught that person not to see the dirt. They did not teach converts how to clean house, but how to ignore the dirt. Instead of leading a convert closer to God, they lead converts away from God. ... The Pharisees played by their own rules. They saw what they wanted to see in the Scriptures. They chose their make-believe truth over God's eternal truth. They may have felt warm and cozy within their mutual admiration society, but their joy was temporary.... The Pharisees were not corrupt in every possible way. They kept some of God's law, but they cherry picked which laws they would keep.... When someone tried to help the Pharisees, they not only rejected the help, but persecuted the help. They would not listen to anything but praise and adoration. They counted themselves above the need for correction...."In order to clean the house, you have to see the dirt," there is no way around this simple saying. Most people do not get excited about it, but it is exciting to those people that truly want a clean house. They will not postpone and procrastinate. They will not ignore the dirt. They will do themselves a true favor, an eternal favor, and engage the work of "working out their own salvation with fear and trembling.," (Philippian 2:12)