I’m excited.
I now have new custom-built bookshelves put in my office. I have wanted these for years, and, finally, I was able to do it.
However, this meant that I had a bit of work to do. And as anyone who has taken on a new building project knows — one thing leads to another.
I moved all the books and pictures and paraphernalia out of the old cases into the extra room. Then I decided to move the set of stacking shelves (one half of which were cubbies) into the closet. Well, this meant that the closet now had to be emptied (more stuff in the extra room) and the clothes culled as I would be losing about one third of my closet space.
Once everything was out, I was all ready to move the cubby/shelving into the closet but then I saw the closet walls. They were a mess. I toyed with the idea of just leaving them. After all, the minute the shelves and the clothes were back in, all would be hidden. But I knew the state it was in.
So I taped it off and headed for Home Depot for the needed paint and then got to work.
When it was dry, I started moving things back in, but I was very selective on what went back into that closet. I didn’t want the clutter of unused items again!
If we are not careful, our spiritual lives can go the way of my cluttered closet. The more we let in of the world, the more lost is our relationship with God in the chaos.
The more time spent on streaming and gaming, the less time in God’s word.
The more time spent on our own interests, the less time we have for sharing God’s love with those around us.
The more time we allow ungodly thoughts and words to percolate in us, the less room there is for God’s thoughts and words.
And it’s what’s deep within us that God cares most about: our hearts and thoughts that then produce our words and actions.
Sure we could cover it all up, be “whitewashed sepulchers,” but we would still know the dirt is there and, more importantly, God knows.
As the year comes to a close, let’s all do a little deep cleaning: let’s sort out what to keep in our lives and what to jettison; let’s confess and repent of those thoughts and actions that are ungodly and displeasing to God and destructive for us. And let’s remember what John told us in 1John 1:9: “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”
Now that’s the kind of deep cleaning we all need.
I now have new custom-built bookshelves put in my office. I have wanted these for years, and, finally, I was able to do it.
However, this meant that I had a bit of work to do. And as anyone who has taken on a new building project knows — one thing leads to another.
I moved all the books and pictures and paraphernalia out of the old cases into the extra room. Then I decided to move the set of stacking shelves (one half of which were cubbies) into the closet. Well, this meant that the closet now had to be emptied (more stuff in the extra room) and the clothes culled as I would be losing about one third of my closet space.
Once everything was out, I was all ready to move the cubby/shelving into the closet but then I saw the closet walls. They were a mess. I toyed with the idea of just leaving them. After all, the minute the shelves and the clothes were back in, all would be hidden. But I knew the state it was in.
So I taped it off and headed for Home Depot for the needed paint and then got to work.
When it was dry, I started moving things back in, but I was very selective on what went back into that closet. I didn’t want the clutter of unused items again!
If we are not careful, our spiritual lives can go the way of my cluttered closet. The more we let in of the world, the more lost is our relationship with God in the chaos.
The more time spent on streaming and gaming, the less time in God’s word.
The more time spent on our own interests, the less time we have for sharing God’s love with those around us.
The more time we allow ungodly thoughts and words to percolate in us, the less room there is for God’s thoughts and words.
And it’s what’s deep within us that God cares most about: our hearts and thoughts that then produce our words and actions.
Sure we could cover it all up, be “whitewashed sepulchers,” but we would still know the dirt is there and, more importantly, God knows.
As the year comes to a close, let’s all do a little deep cleaning: let’s sort out what to keep in our lives and what to jettison; let’s confess and repent of those thoughts and actions that are ungodly and displeasing to God and destructive for us. And let’s remember what John told us in 1John 1:9: “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”
Now that’s the kind of deep cleaning we all need.
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