Cartoonology Devotional 08-15-09

Cartoonology. There is great theology in cartoons and comics.

“Cleanliness is next to godliness” is a proverb some people think is in the Bible. Perhaps that is because it is part of a statement John Wesley made in a sermon in 1791. Although it is not found in the Bible, it expresses a veritable truth.

Cleanliness is one virtue that my mother passed on to her children. I recall one occasion when she was preparing lunch for my father, who came home from the sawmill every day to eat at noon. Mom was stressing the importance of washing for meals, and in order to get us to conform she made a big deal about being extra clean for Dad when he came in. My baby sister and I went into the bathroom and washed and washed and washed. By the time Dad came in our faces were red, chafed and very sore, but we were clean!

I am often appalled at the number of people I see in restrooms who never wash their hands. What does it say about our society when employers have to put signs on the restroom mirrors reminding employees to wash and list instructions on how to do it? And it is not just young people I observe not washing. If cleanliness is indeed next to godliness, perhaps this could be part of the explanation for the filthiness we see in our society regarding morals and ethics.

Isaiah 1:16 (NKJV)
16 "Wash yourselves, make yourselves clean; Put away the evil of your doings from before My eyes. Cease to do evil, 08-15-09