BEWARE OF THE COAL MINE

"Let your clothes be white all time, and let not oil be lacking on your head'' -Eccl 9:8

Several years ago, a woman dressed in daintily white gown went on excursion to a coal mine. Before stepping down into the mine, the woman asked an old miner whether she can wear her white dress into the mine. The old miner responded "Yes, madam, you may wear your white gown down there, but there is no assurance that you will return the same way you went in"

''Do not look for a person wearing white cloth where the palm-oil maker works'' is a Nigerian adage which means anyone that is clean must abstain from things that can defile. This adage corroborates the counsel of God in 2 Peter 2:11 and the old miner's comment above. One of the easiest way to make a shipwreck of one's destiny in life is by stepping into the coal mine of this world. There are many coal mines around us today that can easily stain our garments and truncate our journey to the city of gold (Heaven). The activities in those coal mines may even pass popular opinion poll on earth but in the light of eternity, they attract grave consequences.

The Bible records many instances of people who stepped into the coal mine with their daintily white apparel but they never returned the same way they went in. For example, Dinah wore her gorgeous white gown to fraternize with strange ladies and she returned polluted and defiled (Genesis 34:1-2). Samson got his white apparel of power and glory stained while sampling the laps of strange women in town. He went down into the valley of Sorek heavily anointed but returned drained and deformed (Judges 16:1-31). The prodigal son left his father's house dazzling but returned deflated and dejected (Luke 15:11-19). It is obvious that the repercussions for stepping into the coal mine of this world with ones white apparel has not been changed. According to Revelation 21:27, the punishment for defiling ones apparel is eternal separation from God. 

Beloved, in this polluted world, there are still few people who have not defiled their white apparels with the stains from the coal mine of this world (Rev 3:4-5). Friends, are you one of those few people in this generation? Or have you soiled your white apparel? Have you being patronizing the valley of Sorek like Samson? Have you been defiling your soul with stains from those questionable coal mines you love to visit? What are those coal mine activities that you indulge in? Is it betting, drugs, alcohol, pornography, masturbation or fornication/adultery? Please repent now and the power in the purifying blood of Jesus Christ will keep you spotless till you reach the golden shore.

One hymn that reiterates the need to live daily with the consciousness of reaching the golden shore with undefiled apparel is titled " Let Your Garments Be Always White".

 LET YOUR GARMENTS BE ALWAYS WHITE  by Emma F. Fisk

 Are your garments always spotless?

Are they washed in Jesus' blood?

Do they always keep the cleansing

Of the purifying flood?

Do they never show the soiling

Of your sins upon their white?

Will they always bear the searching

Of the Holy Spirit's light?

 

Chorus:

         Let your garment be spotless,

         Always pure and bright;

        Thro' the precious blood of Jesus

         Keep them ever clean and white.

 

Let no anger soil their beauty,

Let no bitterness remain;

O be sure no trace of envy

Leaves upon your robes a stain.

Let no love of worldly pleasure

Cast unholy shadows there,

Fully cleanse them from the mildews

Of anxiety and care.

 

O then ever keep your garments

Whiter than the driven snow,

Wear the royal robes of heaven

While you tarry here below;

That through yonder pearly portals

Joyful entrance you may win,

Clothes in raiment cleaned forever

From the fingerprints of sin.

May God help us never to defile our royal robes of honour and glory with the dirt from the coal mines of this world in Jesus name. Amen

Good day and God bless you.

Maranatha!

Bro. Okanlawon Taiwo

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