Cleanliness is Next to...

CLEANLINESS IS NEXT TO GODLINESS - "This ancient proverb is said by some to have come from ancient Hebrew writings. However, its first appearance in English - though in slightly altered form - seems to be in the writings of Francis Bacon. In his 'Advancement of Learning' he wrote: 'Cleanness of body was ever deemed to proceed from a due reverence to God.' Near two centuries later John Wesley in one of his sermons indicated that the proverb was already well known in the form we use today. Wrote Wesley: 'Slovenliness is no part of religion.'Cleanliness is indeed next to Godliness.'" (The Phrase Finder)

Cleanliness can indeed transcend the natural and super impose its self upon the spiritual. Boy ole boy, I must say that there is nothing like a clean house. My wife and I just thoroughly cleaned the house top to bottom and it almost felt Heavenly afterward. The real miracle is in keeping it clean...LOL. Our children noticed the next morning that we'd cleaned the house and said, "wow, we have a new refrigerator and it smells good in here too!" We have some amazingly funny children and basically what they were trying to convey to us is, "wow, you guys should clean like this more often" Not Funny! Most busy people that I know and have visited their home will say, "hey I use to stress my self out about keeping the house spotless in the middle of a hectic schedule but not anymore because I am not trying to impress anyone anymore! It will get cleaned when it gets cleaned." Trust and know that we know the feeling of going through a full day non stop to come home late at night to an un-Godly odor from something in the trash, a sink full of dishes, dirty kitchen floor, piles of dirty clothes, and oh yeah we HAVEN"T HAD ANYTHING TO EAT YET so to top it all off dinner must be prepared, ha! Can I get an AMEN?

What's the funniest is that it seems as if everyone unexpectedly visits your home after the tornado has passed through it. But we do understand the importance of cleanliness (not OCD) and how most times it is a reflection of what is on the inside of a person. Now the last sentence can definitely die the death of a thousand qualifications but the true underlying statement is this: God desires for us to be clean, spiritually , mentally and physically, no matter how hard it is to scrub ourselves off of the floor or the time it takes to do so. Why? because He is clean and we are His children, created in His Image according to His likeness so in essence it is our duty to persistently become more like God.

My Uncle in Miami mentioned to me, "most companies that have business names with God on them or anything closely related to Christianity are usually the most un-appealing and dingiest" this is sad and often times true and the same could be reversed and said about a business with a secular name. For some odd reason, I strongly believe that subconsciously everyone (spiritual or not) knows an unclean entity that has a Godly name is a shame. What's more strange is that most people can't explain why they hold the Godly entity to such a higher standard than the rest.

This in other words proves our point how cleanliness is next to Godliness.

Always in Love,

Kevin and Deon Myers

Fatherhood

We have recently celebrated a special holiday to me called "Fathers Day" and I truly feel it is under represented and apathetically appreciated. Church attendance was very low and it could be that people visited their fathers place of worship or whatever else but on Mothers day the service was packed to the limit. I really don't understand this phenomenon to the fullest but what I do know is our Father in Heaven created men to be Fathers just like Him. The adversary is constantly beating down the family structure door and more than not he is successful in destroying the head and allowing the body to run freely. I made a promise to God while in High School that if He allowed me to have a son that I would never neglect him like my father did me. Now, I am no way angry with my earthly father, we mended those differences a while ago and for the record I Love my Dad. Truth be told neglect is still neglect though and a lot of stuff happened in my life that should not have, had my dad been there to protect me and ward away foolishness. Fathers are extremely important in establishing a child's identity and I did struggle for a while searching for who I am. Now this isn't a issue because I found myself in God through Jesus. But I must say that God kept His end of the deal by blessing me with a son and I can humbly say that I am keeping my end as well. Though I was a youngster when my mom and dad decided it was best for my sister and I to live with my grandparents, deep below the surface of my heart and mind I knew something wasn't right. For some time fatherlessness plagued me but thank God for some consistent grandparents grudgingly taking responsibility for 2 little ones well after the completion of their parental duties. I only wish men truly understood the importance of their role in the family schematics and not only the role of being a reproduction partner.

I want to try and make next year fathers day more powerful than this year by raising the fatherhood bar and helping other men recognize their importance. Help me help the men of this planet if you Love our God and value your future.

Always in Love,

Kevin and Deon Myers

A Bond Like No Other

Just think, family bonds are the one thing that God created since the beginning of this earth that has been an ongoing battle to maintain and still remains in existence today. In the original family consisting of Adam and Eve and their offspring, we have the instance where Cain became envious of Abel and murdered him. Then God, graced Adam and Eve with another son, Seth in which Noah and his family derived. Jesus’ family is another example, when God instructed Joseph to leave Bethlehem so that the king could not kill their son. There are multiples more where attempts were made to dysfunctionally ruin the family structure and God turns what was meant to destruct into something so great that only He could get glory for. He is the Lord God who restores and maintains. (Nehemiah 5:11-12; Psalm 17:8)
We were just with our families for a week. It is a pleasure to leave our home town full of gratitude for being able to spend time with our families and reminiscing of the olden days. There were lots of up moments and there were instances where we looked at each other and said “Just pray!” There is a true fight to, if our families are not already won for the kingdom to display the love of Yeshua (Jesus), and to help maintain their salvation if they’ve already committed their hearts to God. We are determined to first strengthen and maintain the bond of our home and an extension of this evident love will affect our distant families. Regardless of how torn apart your family may be at this time, close or distant, God when He is entrusted to do so, can miraculously restore anything that was destructed. We can personally attest to this fact as God has done a reconstruction in the two of us. Because we did not stop fighting, we are beginning to see marriages in our family that at one point looked hopeless, be reunited. Glory to God!
In essence, family regardless of how broken or distant, is the most important bond that God has placed together. He is more than powerful enough to restore, reunite, and most importantly maintain our family bonds as we have seen since the beginning of time and even in our lives today. It is our job to fight to do whatever it takes (in love) to see this power within our family bonds.

Forgiveness

A house divided can not stand is a well known quote from the Word of God. Too many times we allow the enemy to come in our hearts and minds and tear down the earthly strength that we should always be able to lean upon, our family. Oftentimes, this division comes in the form of envy( comparing ones successes with another), hate( feeling like one was treated better than you were), evil speaking, neglecting to pray and selfishness. When thoughts like such enter into our minds and we do not cast it down it then takes a root in our hearts. Once in our hearts, we then began to act on these false feelings that we have left room for entry. This then, breads unforgiveness. As easy as it is to read about forgiveness in the bible and even memorize it (forgive so that your Father in heaven can forgive you), it is not that simple applying it. When someone has done you wrong, especially ones you love and were once close to it is even more difficult to forgive them. We take it personal. We have to come to the place for the sake of our family, however, to look pass the fault and with a true heart of forgiveness ask God to forgive you and forgive the offender as well as a stronger heart to be able to forgive more readily in any situation. Differences will always be amongst our family, but the most prevalent commonality should be a willingness to forgive one another. The beauty and the rewards that are found in a family who knows how to forgive one anothers faults are bountiful.


Always in Love,

Kevin and Deon Myers