Philippians 3:4b-14
Cleaning house fascinates everyone in my family. They can sit around and watch me for hours!!!
Anon.
We’re a full nine months into the year 2020, and starting on the 10th month. The year is not yet close to being over, but it is a safe bet that more trash, junk and garbage has been hauled to the dump than ever before in the history of humankind! I have not verified this, but I’ll bet that charities like The Salvation Army and Goodwill have seen donations jump sky-high in 2020.
Why? Because Americans, having so much time on their hands, cleaned out closets, attics and garages. They got rid of a lot of stuff.
They cleaned house. And then some!
You may not do too much housecleaning anymore. Perhaps you have someone or a staff of people who help you with meals and daily needs. Your place is tidy and kept up well.
But you remember when you were cleaning house. And although you may have had a job, often, if you were the woman in the relationship, cleaning duties fell to you. And it seemed never-ending.
Why am I talking about housecleaning?
Because taking care of one’s soul demands a similar type of discipline. Good housekeepers know that one has to be ruthless with dirt!
In the reading above, the apostle Paul says that he makes sure to take out the garbage: “More than that, I regard everything as loss because of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things, and I regard them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ and be found in him” (vv. 8-9a, emphasis added).
Do you have any garbage to take out? Any grudges, resentments and bitterness to throw out the window? Is your life filled with and burdened by guilt and feelings of regret?
It’s time to do spiritual housecleaning.
Fortunately, if you’re willing, all you need to do is call the Cleaning Service. The Bible says that we are clean through the word that Jesus spoke to us. It also says that we have been cleaned up by the blood of the Cross.
David’s earnest prayer was that he might be clean (Psalm 51). May it be ours as well!
—Timothy Merrill
Prayer:
Lord Jesus, thank you for tossing out the trash. I am clean again, and I feel clean. Praise your name! Amen.
