Dusting

Dusting

8/24/17

Dust is an object that all of us have been associated with all of our lives.  This eyesore of a substance is everywhere and it really does not take too much effort to find dust if one cares to simply look around any room for it.  Yet dust gives us a good example of the fact that our lives attract so much junk that we need to be cleaned on a constant basis and that no matter how hard we try we will continue to survive in this dirty state.  It is important for us to recognize this condition within our lives for it is in this condition that we need to be clean and it is just as important to understand that even though we will never rid ourselves of the dust of our lives there is a way that we can become clean enough to pass by our Creator, but it takes a certain type of cleansing in order for us to achieve such perfection.

Anyone who has owned or taken care of a house, apartment, condo, etc in the Western United States understands that dust builds up on a surface on a constant basis and that no matter how much you try and wipe away these dust particles when you look at the surface that you just cleaned, one can literally watch the dust particles return to the same surface, a torturous truth that is hard to overcome.  Dusting is a frustrating chore but there is no way of getting around this fact, dust will always return to a clean surface no matter how many times you wish to clean and if you do not dust these surfaces the dust will continue to accumulate and soon will become to the point where the natural surface of the furniture will change colors.  This type of lacking dress is a visible alteration of the truth about what is in your house yet a condition that many of us suffer from and do nothing about and serves as an insult to the integrity and original condition of the room the furniture resides.

When I was a child I was raised for the most part in the South and there are not too many problems with dust per say but there are trees and plants everywhere so pollen dominates the air.  Pollen can mimic the products of dust and can be just as annoying when one tries to clean the surfaces of objects.  Pollen and dust for that matter can even be present on outside objects as well they do not limit themselves to one site.  I remember sometimes bending over and looking at the pollen grains on the kitchen table and noticing the pretty shade of light green that they formed.  Of course, it was just a few minutes later that the layer of pollen on the table was gone due to a good swipe of a cloth by my mother.  And living out in the west we have the same invasion situation with the dust, which also provides a yucky brown color all over the place.  I remember when my mother told me to dust on Monday I really did not like to do it but when Tuesday rolled around and she asked me to do it again it really frustrated me for I did not really comprehend the process of such dusting.

Some of us have read about the famous dust bowl era that occurred here in the Midwestern and central portions of the USA.  I am far too young to remember this time but if you find someone of the appropriate age and that lived through it they would tell you of all of the horrid conditions that the wind and dust created.  The Midwest, Southwest, and western states are still subject to occasional dust storms that one can see rolling into the area and when they do it is a good idea to be inside while the storm passes.  But even after the storm is over and clear skies return to the area, the remnants of the storm are visible both inside and outside.  As we scan these landscapes for physical changes, how many of us forget that this concept applies to our individual lives as well in that no matter what we do with our lives we will always have the dirt and muck that the world has to offer all over us.  We attract dirt for we are made from dirt but more importantly, we need to understand that our inner lives (spiritual) become dusty as well and if we do not continually scan our hearts for this spiritual dust we will become just as the physical when referring to its dusty appearance to those who notice.

It has been proven that no matter what type of weather conditions or seasonal forecasts might be presenting dust and other particles from nature are going to get on the surfaces of the objects that humans have acquired.  It is normal procedure for Mother Nature to deposit her natural fertilizer in this manner so that plants, trees, and other organic materials can survive another growing season.  Mother Nature also plays tricks on us by recycling these types of elements and occasionally moving them to another region of the land.  No matter what or where mankind travels, some type of natural particle will invade our private lives which will require some type of response from us.  Other people sometimes develop sensitivities to these elements and will present an entirely different view of these elements, so as my mother so adequately described to me many times over my life keeping a clean appearance and indoor environment is very important to our well being.  Have we ever thought about that this type of layering can also be present in our spiritual lives as well and how many people do you know that have spiritual allergies because of their lack of dusting?

With the modern invention of television and the internet, those who use these means will know that there will be commercials about products that help clean, control or even ward away these particles that might cause long term effects in people.  Each company states that their product is the best and that one should not even consider using another product because it does not work as well as theirs.  This is all a marketing ploy which can become intrusive and tiresome after a while, especially when one sees approximately ten of these product commercials in a short period of time.  We all know that these products work to some degree but none of them will keep the dust from returning to our surfaces.  We can places as much of the desired product down but the dust continues to fall on both the cleaning product and the surface once again.  It is a frustrating process but it is one that we all need to continue to complete in order to maintain a presentable living environment.

One more detail about dusting before I proceed, and I must take you back to the family’s time in Hobbs, New Mexico.  I had already been picked up from the area and taken back to Texas by close family friends who had heard from God to get me out of there.  Mom and dad had completely packed up the truck to leave and had prayed for guidance and safety as they were preparing to depart.  Everything had been of ours had been packed accordingly and the truck was closed tightly for leaving.  Everything was in order and then mom and dad pulled out of Hobbs for the last time.  A return to Texas was the next stop for our homage.  As they pulled out of town dad was in the lead with the truck and mom was in the car following behind him.  The Bishop train has always kept this formation so that if anything ever goes wrong with the truck we could try and correct it as soon as possible.  This formation has also provided for some interesting trips and side line conversations in our past as well but that is for another time.   As the Bishop entourage was leaving Hobbs, God spoke to dad for him to pull off to the side of the road as soon as he got out of the city limits.  Dad pulled off the side of the road and mom followed suit.  God had spoken to dad for him to get out of the truck and to complete a single act before proceeding with the trip.

He turned off the engine of the truck and then opened the door and got out of the truck.  He then went around to where mom had stopped and was getting out of the car herself when she saw dad coming around to the back of the truck.  Since there were no cell phones back in those days, mom had to wait until dad reached her to inform her that everything was ok with the truck but that God had shown him something that he had to do before they left the area, but it had to be after the city limits.  God showed dad that he was to shake the dust off of his feet before he proceeded with the new journey that was going to be ahead of us and when I stop and look at what was coming next, I understand completely of why it was important for God to reveal this to dad.  It was not a huge glamorous ceremony but while it was small in nature it was huge in significance to the reason mom and dad were called to Hobbs.  See, even though God calls a person to a place to complete His work, the remnants of the area called to are still subject to adhering to our body, soul and spirit and it was for this reason alone that God told dad to shake the dust off of his feet because his work in Hobbs was done and that it was God’s turn to take matters into His own hands.

In Genesis Chapter 1 & 2 God gives us a clear definition of where our physical bodies originated from and it is through this origin and through the sin we chose to accept that our bodies now serve as a magnet to dust and other particles in our atmosphere.  So, much of a magnet that since we chose sin over obedience, we must return to our original state and therefore create the ultimate waiting game for God’s voice again.  Sin is all around us and it is constantly appearing on our lives even though we do our best to hide it or to keep it from public sight.  We can wipe and clean as much as we wish but there is no way that we can make the sin go away.  When we are being formed in the womb and we reach a certain stage of cell growth our cells begin to degenerate and die.  This is a form of sin or dust that controls our life and there is nothing that we can do about this condition.  It is something that we inherit when we are created and it will haunt us until the day we die.

So as in dusting products many people, groups, and organizations provide ways to relieve ourselves from this condition and promote ways to rid us of our sins.  There are literally thousands of ideas and alternative methods that are out in the world today offering these types of solutions and it is funny that all of them claim to have the best answer and that there is no need to try anything else.  I am amazed at how these people mimic product commercials when trying to convince people of things on a spiritual matter, the comparison is hilarious and sad at the same time.  If one stops and thinks about this cleansing and healing process and how these people are presenting it one need to remind themselves of a certain detail.  All of the ways that these people are presenting were made up by humans, which means that either their ideas are of mystical origins and have no real basis or that their foundations are created by humans which means that all of them are flawed.  There is no holy connection for the cleaning process and it is all based upon human ways of wiping the surface clean which will lead to further human dependence on their one true god, self.  We must first admit that we are sinners and that we constantly attract dust (sin) and that we need to be cleaned from the inside out.  Then, we must understand and acknowledge that only God has provided the true and complete method of ridding ourselves of this dust (sin).

Sin and the iniquities that it produces cannot be erased from our lives.  This product of humanity’s fall is with us no matter what we try and do to correct it.  It is built within our lives so deeply that it actually passes down the line to our children and their children’s children.  Sin is on the same line as our DNA in such a manner that it has no end to its creative powers and yet these creative powers can produce a condition that is so vile one can be shocked at its results.  In other words, there is no way that we can rid our insides and outsides of this dust, it is a part of us, but there is a way of escape.  This way of escape is a holy escape that when we pass under the escape route our dust is not seen by the one who created us.  It is possible to escape the results of the dust that we have inherited on our surfaces and even inside our surfaces but we must realize that it is not a process that humans can do, only through the blood of Jesus is this escape possible.  The blood of Jesus is the holy connection that allows our dust to be hidden from God the Father when our lives are called before Him.  It is difficult for our minds to understand this process but it is a holy and spiritual feat that occurs and we need to familiarize ourselves with this process.

The weight of sin will always be upon our lives and the dust that it brings will continually flow and be presented to the ones who are looking at us.  We can choose to live in this manner and do nothing about the dust that covers us.  If we make this choice we will fit right in with the world and all of its activities.  Life will continue and we might even become a bit comfortable in these conditions but the one who chooses this way will always be searching for answers in a humanistic way that will always leave them empty and bare.  What is the weight of sin?  Lying, greed, anger, stealing, lust, corruption, manipulation, and any other idea thought or action that we act upon in order to gain the advantage we wish to have in life.  This is sin and it is our responsibility to recognize it and then ask God to take it away for it is what will eat at our hearts and then destroy us if not properly cleaned.  We need to take careful precaution when we look at our lives to determine if we need to be clean or not for the world shall say it is okay to be dusty but the world did not create you (the furniture) God did.  Too often we listen to those around us concerning dire settings and conditions about our lives instead of the One who created us.  His cleaning is what we need and His dusting of us shall bring out the finest of qualities for His Kingdom.

There is another choice that we can make and that is by choosing the ways of God which will bring us happiness and joy.  Choosing this way will not make us pure in any way, the burden of our dust will always be present but as we walk along this life we can resist what “mother nature” has to offer us in this manner and we do not have to accept the things of the world.  Which when we accept this way we have an automatic repellent that begins to grow within us that deters the dust of the world away from us.  We are still and always will be susceptible to the dust of the world but there is a way that we can limit the accumulation of dust on and in our lives.  And with this choice, we have the assuredness that one day we will pass under and through the blood of Jesus that will prove that all dust can be taken away.

Ancient history, medieval history, modern history and even future history will always prove one thing and that is that the ways of the world shall always produce death and destruction.  This way is a given and it does not matter if you are talking about personal lives to world civilizations, the results will be the same.  There is an escape plan and the world does not have it.  The one true escape plan is God and through His son Jesus.  It is simple and easy to receive yet it is one of the most ignored choices presented to man.  God loves you and wishes to lighten your burdens in life, return to Him and seek His ways and He will guarantee life abundantly with less troublesome dust on your back and in your heart.  From the very first word in Genesis to the last punctuation in Revelation, the Bible is about Jesus and the eternal Covenant that God has with His children and how His Word is the only way to be dusted sufficiently enough to be forgiven.

It is evident that the majority of the world has totally rejected what God has provided for them and have deemed its content rubbish and not worth spending time studying it much less reading it.  It is the setting of dust (sin) that God provided a covering for Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden before they had to leave, it was the reason that God created His eternal Covenant for those who continually seek after His Ways, and it was the exact purpose of sending His Son to die for the dust that has accumulated in our spiritual lives.  The Word of God has stood firm for thousands of years and its content shall provide the complete cleaning our lives both physically and spiritually that we need in order to live according to how we were created to be.  Life is hard and we are going to become dirty with the trials of what the world gives us, but there is an answer, one that is true to form and consistent every day.  The Bible serves as the only source that can provide a daily cleaning that not only cleans our surface but our hearts as well.  It will bring out the true shine that God created within us and will provide an example of how to live in a dying world.  God’s Word is the only source powerful enough to grant such a cleaning and with every word and chapter studying then applied to our lives, only then can we be dusted in the eyes of God.

Sadly, the entity (you, us, the Church) has aggressively begun to clean ourselves with another product, one that has been told to us would work just as well as the Bible.  We have been deceived enough that we have bought this product and are now selling it from our pulpits and on the streets as we walk them each day.  We have accepted the masquerade of Satan as the truth and have forgotten that right from the beginning that anything that does not represent the complete Word of God is not the truth and can only be a lie.  Preachers have accepted it, church denominations have accepted this lie, and popular ministries have accepted this false dusting product.  We have accepted it so much that it has already produced allergies to the Bible, for if one looks at the Bible and tries to interpret it for their own benefit it is a lie.  We are all sinners and we can have no benefits when it comes to holiness, sanctity, purity, righteousness, love, meekness, or salvation unless we first apply every single letter of God’s Word over and into our lives.  As we can see, the tedious detail that I thought was not necessary is actually an essential part of our existence and is needed continually.  Repent, Church, and turn back to the Creator of all life and He guarantees to heal our land which means that He shall provide the necessary ingredients to clean our hearts and be washed in Jesus’ eternal sacrificial blood.

DLB