Dead Flies

Ecc. 10:1

"Dead flies make the perfumer's ointment give off a stench."

What an image this conjures in my mind! Certainly, I would never use perfume with a dead fly in it. Not only would it stink, but it would be gross! A dead fly destroys the beauty of the perfume no matter how beautifully it is packaged. What is the principle here? I think this verse is saying that a little bit of sin or evil in the most beautiful packaging gives off a stench. For instance, If I were to speak beautiful words but with bad motives, the beauty of my words would be destroyed by my 'fly-ish' motives. Or, if I were to obey God with a bad attitude or not in a timely fashion, my obedience would be 'fly-ish,' and the stink of sin would destroy it. Or, if I am outwardly nice to people when I really harbor ill will against them, that ill will is 'fly-ish' and destroys the whole relationship. What is God asking from me? He wants purity and sincerity of heart. "Having purified your souls by your obedience to the truth for a sincere brotherly love, love one another earnestly from a pure heart..." In fact whatever I do He wants me to have a pure heart. He wants my perfume to be free of stench. "so whatever I do," I will "do all to the glory of God." In fact, my prayers are to be sweet to God like "golden bowls full of incense." If there is a fly in the incense, the offering is foul. I think that pride is the biggest fly of them all. Its power is so destructive, and its control so subversive. "God is warning me when He says, "Let not the wise man boast in his wisdom, let not the mighty man boast in his might, let not the rich man boast in his riches, but let him who boasts boast in this, that he understand and knows Me, that I am the Lord who practices love, justice, and righteousness in the earth." To be fly-free, I must boast in the Lord, make the Lord my all, and take up my cross and follow Him. He and His word must be the joy and delight of my life. My perfume must be God's fly-free sweetness which can be bought only by the riches of His grace!

Father,

Keep my perfume free of flies. Let my aroma be sweet in your nostrils. Spirit, reveal to me those nasty and deeply buried flies. Root them out and wash me clean. I so want to be sweet to You.

In Jesus name,

Amen