John 20:6 Then cometh Simon Peter following him, and went into the sepulchre, and seeth the linen clothes" ..... 7 And the napkin, that was about his head, not lying with the linen clothes, but wrapped together in a place by itself.
This passage of scripture gives us the fine details of what might seem to many as something of very little importance, but there is nothing that is insignificant in the eyes of God who as a rule, manifests great detail in everything He does. As Jesus prepared to leave the tomb, He was mindful to carefully fold the grave clothes and linen, placing them neatly and in order in their respective places, thus giving us an example of neatness and tidiness in all what we do. What is worthy of note is that Christ was never again going to use those articles of clothing, so one might reason that folding them neatly was not necessary.
But the bad or good habits that we form early in life, and even later on, have a direct impact on the way we live, and affects the entire spectrum of our daily experiences. A person who is habitually untidy will carry that same trait of character into everything they do, and the evil tendency will be made manifest at work, and at school, in a disorganized work desk, incorrect spelling and grammar, homework that is turned in late, and tools that cannot be located because they were put in the tool box carelessly, without being arranged in their proper place.
And that's not the entire scope of the problem, for it will also affect those who are in the medical field, where a very high degree of cleanliness and precision is a must. There are recorded instances where a doctor or a physician left an incision tool or syringe inside of a person after doing an operation, and in other instances the wrong hand or foot was accidentally amputated, as was the case right here in Florida where a hospital ran into very serious problems for cutting off the wrong foot on a patient. And so instead of being one-footed, the man lost both legs, resulting in a steep lawsuit and heavy fines for the medical facility. Problems like these can usually be traced home to the early habit of being untidy, careless, or slip-shod in the way we do things.
Good habits on the other hand will run like a golden cord throughout everything that we do, for habits constitute character, and character reflects who we are. When Christ had finished feeding the multitude with bread and fish, He commanded His disciples to gather up the fragments, for remaining bits and pieces were not to be left strewn all over the countryside, as if He couldn't care less about the environment. When garbage is left unattended in the open air it attracts flies and rodents and roaches, all of which spread disease, some of which can be pretty devastating, as was the case with the bubonic plague. Faithfulness in that which is least goes a long way in bringing us success, for as the saying goes, however we make our bed, so we will lie on it.
We therefore end with a passage of scripture which teaches us the sobering truth that God does no usually interfere with the smooth operation of the laws of cause and effect, and thus it behooves us to weave into the fabric of our character building, only that which will stand the test of time and eternity. Let's read:
Galatians 6:7 Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap. 8 For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting.
May The Lord add His blessing to the study and practice of His every word. God bless!