WISDOM FOR LIVING DAILY DEVOTIONAL
JULY 16, 2026
TOPIC: TREAT THE THINGS OF GOD AS HOLY
BY T. O. BANSO
“And they shall teach My people the difference between the holy and the unholy, and cause them to discern between the unclean and the clean” (Ezekiel 44:23 New King James Version).
It is not a new thing for people to make fun of things of God. They mock the Word of God, the servants of God, and the things dedicated to God. Those who engage in this unwholesome practice include believers or non-believers. While this is inexcusable for anyone who does this, it is more inexcusable for believers. But there are consequences for both believers and non-believers.
God is holy, and everything that pertains to Him should be treated as holy. The Word of God is holy. His worship is holy. The songs we sing to God are holy. His offerings are holy. The things in His house are holy. Nobody should trivialise or make ordinary any of these. We should not treat as unholy whatever is dedicated to God or bears His name or His servants.
Today, believers and non-believers play with the name of God or mock the servants of God. Some comedians think that making jokes that trivialise things of God or deride the servants of God is the way to become popular and make money. They may succeed in achieving their goals, but they’re also playing with fire! There are usually consequences. They can’t go scot-free unless they repent. This is not a threat, as some have already suffered the consequences. Don’t join the list.
Don’t join those who laugh at or patronise comedians who laugh at the church. Most of these comedians are associated with one church or another. But they make what goes on in the church a subject of comedy. Yet non-Christians don’t do that about their faith. Those who joke about or treat as ordinary the sacred things of God are treading a dangerous path. Holy things must be treated as holy.
In 2 Kings 2, after Elisha’s miracle at Jericho, where he healed the water, he went to Bethel. 2 Kings 2:23 says, “Some youths came from the city and mocked him, and said to him, ‘Go up, you baldhead! Go up, you baldhead!’” (New King James Version).
Probably, these youths were mocking Elisha to go up the same way his master, Elijah, had done. Elisha might have considered their utterance a serious affront to God and responded appropriately. “So he turned around and looked at them, and pronounced a curse on them in the name of the Lord. And two female bears came out of the woods and mauled forty-two of the youths” (verse 24 New King James Version).
These youths died needlessly because they did not relate to Elisha as a holy man of God. They didn’t know the difference between who to make fun of and who not to. Sadly, the same anointed man of God, Elisha, whom God used to heal the bad water of Jericho, also caused two she-bears to come out of the woods and tear forty-two of the youths to pieces.
Parents must teach their children the difference between what is holy and unholy, what to touch and not to touch, and what to play with and not to play with. They should teach them how to relate to servants of God. The Bible says of the priests in Ezekiel 44:23, “And they shall teach My people the difference between the holy and the unholy, and cause them to discern between the unclean and the clean” (New King James Version). The ministers of God today have a responsibility to teach this, but parents must not leave it to them alone to preserve the lives of their children.
However, in Ezekiel 22:26, the Bible says about Israel, “Her priests have violated My law and profaned My holy things; they have not distinguished between the holy and unholy, nor have they made known the difference between the unclean and the clean; and they have hidden their eyes from My Sabbaths, so that I am profaned among them” (New King James Version). Leviticus 10:10 also records the LORD’s instruction to Aaron on distinguishing between the holy and unholy and between unclean and clean. Don’t treat holy things as unholy. If others do, don’t join them.
When Nadab and Abihu, the sons of Aaron, offered strange or profane fire before God, which he had not commanded them, fire came forth from before God and devoured them. They died before God (Leviticus 10:1-2; Numbers 3:4; 26:61).
Also, God didn’t ignore it when Eli’s sons kicked at His sacrifice and offering, and Eli did not discipline them appropriately. Because of this, God pronounced judgment upon Eli’s house and the house of his father (1 Samuel 2:27-36). Everything God said came to pass.
In Daniel 5, Belshazzar, a son or grandson of Nebuchadnezzar, died prematurely. This was because, while drinking at a great feast he had made for a thousand of his lords, he ordered that all the gold and silver cups that his ancestor, Nebuchadnezzar, had brought from the temple in Jerusalem should be brought out for his nobles, wives, and concubines to drink from.
The problem was not that he drank wine, but that he didn’t distinguish between what was holy and unholy. The gold and silver cups brought from the temple of God in Jerusalem were not ordinary cups that Belshazzar and the rest could drink wine from and praise the gods of gold and silver, bronze and iron, and wood and stone.
While they were drinking, mysterious fingers suddenly appeared and began to write on the wall what Belshazzar couldn’t understand. He was gripped with fear and sought the help of the magicians and wise men in his kingdom to interpret the writing. None of them could interpret it until Daniel did. He interpreted it thus: MENE: God has numbered your kingdom and finished it. TEKEL: You have been weighed in the balance and found wanting. PERES: Your kingdom has been divided and given to the Medes and Persians (Daniel 5:1-28). Belshazzar was killed that very night, and Darius the Mede took over the kingdom.
Holy things are holy. Don’t treat them otherwise. Don’t become too familiar with the holy things of God. Don’t make jokes about the holy things of God. Don’t laugh at the things of God. Don’t make a jest or mockery of God’s servants. God doesn’t take it lightly with anyone who does. “But they mocked the messengers of God, despised His words, and scoffed at His prophets, until the wrath of the Lord arose against His people, till there was no remedy” (2 Chronicles 36:16 New King James Version). Be careful. Treat the things of God as holy. Respect the sacredness of holy things. Don’t desecrate them.
TAKE ACTION!
If you are not born again, you must give your heart to Jesus now. Please take the following steps: *Admit that you are a sinner and you cannot save yourself, and repent of your sins. *Confess Jesus as your Lord and Saviour. *Renounce your past way of life—your relationship with the devil and his works. *Invite Jesus into your heart. *As a mark of seriousness to mature in the faith, start attending a Bible-believing, Bible-teaching, and Bible-practising church. There, they will teach you how to grow in the Kingdom of God.
Kindly say this prayer now: O Lord God, I come unto You today. I know I am a sinner, and I cannot save myself. I believe that Jesus is the Son of God who died on the cross to save me, and God raised Him on the third day. I repent of my sins and confess Jesus as my Lord and Saviour. I invite Jesus into my heart. By this prayer, I know I am saved. Thank You, Jesus, for saving me and making me a child of God.
I believe you have said this prayer from your heart. Congratulations! You must join a Bible-believing, Bible-teaching, and Bible-practising church where they will teach you how to live your new life in Christ Jesus. I pray that you flourish like a palm tree and grow like a cedar of Lebanon. May you grow into Christ in all things and become all God wants you to be. I will be glad to hear from you. The Lord be with you.
PRAYER POINTS: Father, I repent of my sin of not treating holy things as holy. Forgive me, Father, for not making a difference between the holy and the unholy. Holy Spirit, help me to treat the things of God as Holy. I shall not profane the holy things of God, ridicule the servants of God, or make a mockery of anything that pertains to God. Father, silence all those who make jokes to ridicule the church. Cause them to repent and give their lives to Jesus.
(For over 900 in-depth and powerful messages by T. O. Banso, visit www.cedarministry.org).
T. O. Banso is the President of Cedar Ministry International, Abuja, Nigeria.
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