Week 3 - Toothbrush

I have to admit, when I first picked this object, quite a few thoughts came to mind and I (mistakenly, I confess) thought the study would take me a ‘same old lesson.’ But, faithful as He is, God is God and His ways are not my Ways (PTL!).
The first initial thoughts that came to mind were not even words they were immediate ‘Spiritual’ correlations
· Brush 3x = Peter denied Christ 3x; the 3-in-1; Christ rose in 3 days
· Popularity in our times (almost to obsession) with whitening teeth = am I obsessed with whitening my soul?
· We buy whitening trays to whiten our teeth in an hour =Christ can whiten our soul in an instant of asking.
· I eat and drink and it stains my teeth & I need to brush = I sin it stains my soul and I need to confess
· I am pretty passionate about fresh breath =am I as fervent about having a ‘fresh’ aroma of Christ or speaking with clean words?
But, since I encourage all of you that the whole point of the study is not to just think Spiritual words, but to trust the Spirit’s guiding in getting a lesson out of whatever Word God wants me to have
[As an aside, I want to be clear, I’m not trying to infer that it’s bad that we have immediate Spiritual thoughts—that’s good. That’s the point. But the further point in the study and using the very first words that come to our minds is to get our non-Spiritual thoughts turning toward Spiritual ones.]

So anyway, I prayed and felt led to stick with the obvious for me: teeth
I was led to go to the not-always-so-popular book of Amos: Chapter 4:6

“And I also have given you cleanness of teeth in all your cities, and want of bread in all your places yet have ye not returned to me, saith the Lord.”

Facts & Spiritual lesson I gleaned: The book was written by Amos, who was a sheep breeder, non-educated. He was described in one commentary as a “stern prophet of righteousness and uncompromising justice.” (I liked that and didn’t know that about him) He lived in times much like ours now—people were going through the motions of ‘church’ and the right sayings, but they were really more interested in doing their ‘hour
And getting back to the marketplace and treating each other corruptly. (youch!) My study led me to a small study guide on the book of Amos that recapped the book in 10 words or less: “Real religion isn’t just ritual but treating people with justice.”

Application: This came as confirmation to what God has been saying to me for over a month! (Wow, from a toothbrush & Amos come confirmation ;-) ) Get real with Him. God was reminding me again to be authentic. Put my faith & words into action. So often we have the right “label” or say the right “words” but the actions don’t match. (when I say ‘we’ I do mean ‘me’) He was telling me to give it my all, but make sure I finish with a smile. I can be well-intended and give it my all but if I end the day frustrated and resentful, what good is it? I can wear the label of Christian and say I will pray but if I don’t actually do it, what good is it. (hmm...didn’t Pastor Bob say that too this weekend??) I can be involved in multiple ministries, working my fingers to the bone out of ‘sacrifice’ but if I do it to please man and it’s not what God calls me to, what good is it? I can put in ‘time’ on Sunday, but if I get in the car and yell at the traffic, what good is it? I can have the label of ‘married’ but if I treat my spouse with contempt what good is it? It was confirmation to get real! To give it my all and finish with a smile—even if that means saying ‘no’ to some things or doing fewer things more genuinely.
It was like He was confirming and encouraging in the gentlest of ways that only He can “don’t just wear the label of Christian…try to act it in everything you do, and when you fail, repent and give it another go—but I can smile through it because of God’s strength & grace.”
I'm not usually this wordy, but felt the need this week...now gotta go brush that smile! :-) Have a great week.