I absolutely do not like commercials. There, I said it! They run the gambit from annoying to reprehensible. However, once in a blue moon, there comes along an advertisement that is both endearing and heartwarming. I recently saw just such an endorsement. It wasn’t the promoted product that commanded my attention, but rather a statement made by Lou, the 90 year old “star” of said commercial. You see, in this commercial, Lou finds a new sweeper conveniently placed on her front porch. As she takes her new gift for a test run, she is amazed at how easily it is maneuvered into tight crevices, but more than that, the amount of hidden filth it uncovers. She immediately tells her husband, Morty, that they have been living in a fool’s paradise.

It brought to mind some of the unsightly areas hidden away in our own lives. I believe that many times we harbor “pet sins” that we feel are easily concealed from the world. So much so, that if we are not careful, we can be lulled into complacency. A complacency that may lead us to the point of not seeing these tucked away sins. Our consciences become dulled and we rarely feel pangs of guilt. We may go to sleep every night at ease even reveling in how clean our “houses” are. In II Corinthians 13:5 the apostle Paul warned, “Examine yourselves, to see whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Or do you not realize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you?—unless indeed you fail to meet the test!” How often do we examine ourselves? Do we sweep into every nook and cranny looking for sin, or are we content to live in ignorance? Acts 17:30 tells us, “The times of ignorance God overlooked, but now He commands all people everywhere to repent”. Without this repentance we will fail the only test we will ever take that really counts. The great news is this is a test for which we can prepare. We do this by taking a serious look at the following areas.

1. Our Minds:

The Bible refers to the mind as the heart. In Matthew 5:8 we see that only the pure in heart will be blessed to see God. We must be careful when trusting our own hearts as a guide when it comes to purity because “The heart is deceitful above all things and desperately sick; who can understand it? I the LORD search the heart and test the mind, to give every man according to his ways, according to the fruit of his deeds.” Jer. 17:9-10 Also Proverbs 21:2 declares, “Every way of a man is right in his own eyes, but the Lord weighs the heart.” Are we coddling any of the following in our hearts?

Anger

“Know this, my beloved brothers: let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger; for the anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God.”James 1:19-20

 “Be angry and do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger” Eph. 4:26

 Hate

“Hatred stirs up strife, but love covers all offenses.”Prov. 10:12

 “The one who conceals hatred has lying lips, and whoever utters slander is a fool.” Prov. 10:18

 Bitterness

“Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.” Eph. 4:31-32

 Apathy

“So, because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth.” Rev. 3:16

 “Do not be slothful in zeal, be fervent in spirit serve the Lord.” Rom. 12:11

2.Our Mouth:

The tongue is an unruly evil (James 3:8) and death and life are in the power of the tongue (Prov. 18:21) “A brother offended is harder to be won than a strong city: and their contentions are like the bars of a castle.” Prov. 18:19 (KJV) Are we using our mouths to do the following?

Lie

“Do not lie to one another, seeing that you have put off the old self with its practices” Col. 3:9

“Lying lips are an abomination to the LORD, but those who act faithfully are his delight.” Prov. 12:22

Gossip

“If your brother sins against you go and tell him his fault, between you and him alone. If he listens to you, you have gained your brother.” Matt 18:15

“A dishonest man spreads strife, and a whisperer separates close friends.” Prov. 16:28

 Foul language

 “Let there be no filthiness nor foolish talk nor crude joking, which are out of place, but instead let there be thanksgiving.” Eph. 5:4

 “Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear.” Eph 4:29

 “You shall not take the name of the LORD your God in vain, for the LORD will not hold him guiltless who takes his name in vain.” Exodus 20:7

3.Our Members:

“Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, to make you obey its passions. Do not present your members to sin as instruments for unrighteousness, but present yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life, and your members to God as instruments for righteousness.” Rom. 6:12-13 “And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. For it is better that you lose one of your members than that your whole body go into hell.” Matt. 5:30 Are we using our members as instruments of righteousness or are we doing the following?

Conforming

“I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.” Rom. 12:1-2

Practicing Immodesty

“likewise also that women should adorn themselves in respectable apparel, with modesty and self-control, not with braided hair and gold or pearls or costly attire, but with what is proper for women who profess godliness—with good works. I Tim. 2:9-10

Engaging in eating disorders

“Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body.” I Cor. 6:19-20

Drinking Alcohol

“And do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery, but be filled with the Spirit” Eph. 5:18

John Galbraith put it well when he said, “In all life one should comfort the afflicted, but verily, one should also afflict the comfortable, and especially when they are comfortably, contentedly, and even happily wrong.” Are we content and even happy living with our pet sins? If so, we must allow ourselves to feel the pain sin breeds and repent. If not, the only paradise we may have the opportunity to inhabit is one fitting for a fool.

Shanna Mathis Anderson

*all scripture is ESV unless otherwise noted

*quote found at www.goodquotes.com