Today I learnt something amazing from taking care of my teeth, thanks to Gerald Ho, who recently extracted 3 wisdom teeth. The teeth are living matter, and the way we take care of them is a model of how we must take care of our Spirit Man. From them, we can learn a few lessons about purity.
1. Principle 1: Don’t allow decay to hide in the dark regions of your mouth
The wisdom teeth have the tendency to decay faster than the rest of your teeth. This is because they are often “hidden in a corner” and therefore “overlooked”. The rest of the teeth are near the front of the mouth and hence are easier to “care for”. Decay sets in because in the “dark corners” of the mouth, plaque, which corrodes the tooth, develops more easily.
Similarly, secret sin sets in like decay, and they will thrive in areas that are kept away from the place where it can be cleaned. When we keep our sins and struggles (decay) secretly tucked away in corners (of our mouths) where no help/remedy can be rendered, the decay will thrive and spread. On the other hand, if we open our lives to be accountable to others, we allow them to help us keep the “hard to reach” areas of our life clean. We ask others to pray for us, to help us ensure that our “decaying areas” or “weak areas” are remedied and always kept clean.
When we choose to keep sin a secret, it is as if we give decay a place in the dark corners of our mouth. It is as if the mouth refuses to open to allow the toothbrush it, or allow the dentist to do a check. Decay, or sin, grows most rapidly, when we keep our lives a secret, and refuse to let anyone in
The spiritual principle here is that if we allow secret sin to continue operation in secrecy, the decay will slowly destroy us, and cause us, and the body of Christ, pain eventually.
2. Principle 2: You need to extract all forms of decay – FAST!
When decay sets in, it slowly eats up the whole tooth. When a tooth is decayed, you need to remove it. You cannot let if fester or else further infection will cause greater damage and of course, prolonged pain.
From this, I learned that we need to have a greater sense of urgency and determination to see “sin removed from our lives”. Just as “decay” must be “removed from our lives”
We cannot see sin fester and then keep letting it live on without noticing its toll on our lives. WE DECAY when we sin continually. And it is only a matter of time till we experience the pain. Jesus says “If your right eye causes you to sin, gouge it out and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to be thrown into hell.” Matthew 5:29
What Our Lord is trying to tell us is that we need to deal harshly with the sins in our lives. We tend to excuse ourselves too much, give ourselves too much leeway, loving the old habits again and again! But God is calling us to put a stop to sin. Viciously! Violently! We cannot allow that part of our body to sin, lest it eats us till a point where our whole body has to be thrown into hell.
Deal with the sin today. Don’t give yourself another week to change! Start dealing with the sin today.
3. Principle 3: To enjoy a healthy set of teeth and lifetime of use, brush regularly
Seek God daily, Psalms 139:23 exhorts us to allow the Holy Spirit to search our hearts.
“ Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me, and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.”
When you wake and when you sleep, especially during quiet time, ask God, allow Him time to speak to you about areas that are lacking, or are falling short of His glory. Things which you never thought were displeasing to God can alas appear so filthy under the light of the Holy Spirit.
Our hearts are so deceitful (Jer 17:9), sometimes we overlook our own sinfulness. We really need to get into the daily habit of brushing away the decay that so easily sets upon us, DAILY! Let the Holy Spirit search your life daily; let the Word of God judge the thoughts and attitudes of your heart!(Heb 4:12)
Wow, if only we did this spiritual brushing on our hearts as often as we brush our teeth!
Questions for Reflection
Have I been hiding decay(sin) away in a dark corner?(away from Spiritual guidance and help)
Have we been negligent in “brushing”(dealing with) these areas?
Have we been “hiding”(keeping secret) these areas still in the dark corners so that “decay”(sin) can set in to bring a total corruption of the tooth?
Am I allowing decay to have a place in my life?
Have I been seeking God, allowing Him to show me the areas of my life that need to be dealt with on a daily basis?
Dealing with my sin.
If you know that you need a change, why don’t you start today by asking God to lead you on the path of righteousness? God knows what you are going through, and He desires to lead you back to His side. Because He Himself suffered when He was tempted, He is able to help those who are being tempted.(Heb 2:18) Share your struggle with someone today, bring the decay into the light and allow a Spiritual overseer to come alongside you to help you as well.
