I have, throughout my life, heard the phrase, “Cleanliness is next to Godliness.” I had not really put much thought into it.. until today. Why, I wondered, do they say that?
I enjoy having a clean living area, so I know something about cleanliness. I have been around other people who weren’t that clean. It then dawned on me, cleanliness is not a once in a while sort of thing, it is a decision you make everyday, whenever you do something. You dirty dishes, you clean them. You make a mess, you clean it. You get out of bed, you make your bed. You dirty clothes, you put them in the hamper to wash. It is a continual process. If you stop in any area, that area almost immediately becomes dirty.
Then it dawned on me again, this is just like Godliness! If you are not going towards God, you are moving away. If you do not make the continual decision to look more like Jesus, you end up looking like filthy rags!
Cleanliness really is next to Godliness.