May 23rd, 2018 - Thoughts for your Week

 “Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me.”

Psalm 51:10 

Cleaning House

Over the past few weeks, I have been cleaning out our home; going through clothes, sorting toys and books, purging things we don’t need or use, etc. and after two days of this, I realized no one looking in would even notice the changes I’d been making. The house looked exactly the same, even though I’d worked tirelessly to organize, purge, and throw out.

As I sat there and looked around, I felt the sink of disappointment. All this work and nothing to show for it. But then it dawned on me that I was working on the hidden things. The things that no one sees unless they open cupboard doors or drawers. These are areas that need to be purged often so they don’t become stuffed with useless junk. Dresser drawers of all our kids now only contain clothes that they will actually wear. The pantry now only houses foods that has a good best before date and is edible. And on and on it goes.

But as I sat there, looking around the house that didn’t look any different, I began to think about the Christian life and the minute changes that are taking place in us every day as we give ourselves over to God. Sometimes we might feel like we are spinning our wheels and not getting very far. We might wish we were changing faster than the snail speed we’re at. We might think that people around us don’t see the changes taking place. But we know we are changing because we know what we once were.

Henry Blackaby says; “God will not totally change your character at once. Rather, He will lead you through a process to become more like His Son. He will keep working in an area in your life until it is controlled by the Holy Spirit. You may eagerly desire maturity in every area of your character, but steady, gradual growth is more lasting.”

Just like in my home, I need to clean house in my spiritual life, to get rid of the things that pull me away from God and make more space for the things that keep me close to Him.

A few questions to meditate on…

Do you seek to please Him with your thoughts, words, and deeds? How can you ‘clean house’ in your own spiritual life? What do you need to throw out or get rid of so that you can make more space for Him?

“I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.”

Romans 12: 1-2