"Cleaning Up Halloween"

"And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them." Ephesians 5:11

 

This is one of my favorite times of the year, minus the days that surround the last day of October. It is on these days when all you hear and see is centered around Halloween. And sadly, you don't only see it out in the world, you see it in the church and in the lives of people who profess to be Christians. While I am no ones judge, I often wonder how can you profess Christianity and involve yourself in something that is purely evil and violent in nature. We may have tried to "clean it up", but the root (the beginning) of it is evil. Therefore, no matter how much you try to "clean it up" it is still whatever the root (origin) is. You can't take what is evil and make it good. You can't take rotten meat and make it fresh. You can't take poisonous water and make it pure. You can't take a lemon tree and make it an apple tree. It is what it is. 

 

The Bible tells us that during the days of King Ahab's rule the Israelites were worshipping Baal. God sent Elijah to confront them about this sin. Israel's "jumping back and forth" between their worship to God and their worship of Baal had to stop. He told the king to bring all the prophets of Baal to mount Carmel. You know the story, there was a contest. Which ever God/god answered by sending fire upon the altar would be declared God/god of Israel. 

 

The prophets of Baal built their altar and cried out to Baal all morning to consume the sacrifice on the altar-- but he did not answer. Then it was Elijah's turn. This is the part I want to focus on. Elijah did not use the same altar that was made to Baal. He did not use the same bullock. He did not even use one stone from their altar. He built a totally new one to God and offered another sacrifice. Elijah could have "cleaned up" the altar that was made for Baal and used it, but it would have still been an instrument of offering to this false god. 

 

You can dress a pig up but it will still be a pig. You can paint a black horse white but it will still be a black horse. We can't "clean things up" and make them "fit" for God. Only God can do that. That is what He did with us when we came to Jesus for salvation and forgiveness of sins. He made us a new creation. He took our sins away. He cleaned us up. He removed our robes of unrighteousness and gave us His robe righteousness. Since we are new creations, filled with Him, with His nature in us, bearing the fruits of the Spirit, should we not act like new people and stop doing "old things"- things that were dedicated to something other than God? Like involving ourselves with things that are evil in nature and the unfruitful works of darkness such as Halloween, adultery, fornication, lying, cheating, drunkenness, etc.

 

Have a great day. Some things remain the same no matter how much you try to clean them up. So where should Christians draw the line in separating themselves from them? 

 

For further reading:

1 Kings 18

2 Corinthians 5:17; 6:14

 

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Coffee Break is a morning devotional written by Lorraine Ezell

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