Christ's Light
Cleaning House
As the clouds of winter quickly blow away, the bright rays of the spring sun shine through my windows revealing the need for a thorough house cleaning. The temptation is to simply draw the blinds and ignore the dust, but I know that doing that won’t make my home clean. Instead, what I need to do is allow the light to shine in as brightly as possible and do a real spring cleaning!
It is also a good time, as it is every day, to open up the curtains of my own life and examine the contents of my heart. Are there areas within me which need to be dusted off and wiped clean? Is the beauty God wants to reveal covered with a layer of dust? My desire is to have a pure heart and so I come before my Lord and ask Him to make me aware of any areas which need attention.
What places are there in our lives where we have let grime accumulate? Does a critical or complaining attitude need to be adjusted? Is there resentment brewing that needs to be dealt with? Or, are we ignoring guilt and past sin? Any area, large or small, that needs to be cleansed can be made new and sparkling when we open the shades and let the Holy Spirit’s light in. As He reveals the areas in our lives that require His touch, God will come alongside us and give us what we need to become right before Him. And when we become right before the Lord, He will bless us with the beautiful, sparkling benefits of a clean house.
Living for Him,
Join me this weekend over at Spiritual Sundays as more writers share their inspirational, heartfelt thoughts.
It is also a good time, as it is every day, to open up the curtains of my own life and examine the contents of my heart. Are there areas within me which need to be dusted off and wiped clean? Is the beauty God wants to reveal covered with a layer of dust? My desire is to have a pure heart and so I come before my Lord and ask Him to make me aware of any areas which need attention.
“Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me” (Psalm 51:10).
Not many people enjoy the work of house cleaning, let alone facing the neglected areas of our spiritual purity, but when we stop to consider God’s love for us and the ultimate sacrifice He made for us, we can’t help but want to please Him. And having a clean heart will bring joy to our Father. When we submit ourselves to the Lord and ask Him to purify our hearts, His loving hands will draw to the surface the areas He wants made clean. Then, He will guide us as we seek to honor Him in all we do.
“Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts.
Point out anything in me that offends you, and lead me along the path of everlasting life” (Psalm 139:23-24).
Point out anything in me that offends you, and lead me along the path of everlasting life” (Psalm 139:23-24).
What places are there in our lives where we have let grime accumulate? Does a critical or complaining attitude need to be adjusted? Is there resentment brewing that needs to be dealt with? Or, are we ignoring guilt and past sin? Any area, large or small, that needs to be cleansed can be made new and sparkling when we open the shades and let the Holy Spirit’s light in. As He reveals the areas in our lives that require His touch, God will come alongside us and give us what we need to become right before Him. And when we become right before the Lord, He will bless us with the beautiful, sparkling benefits of a clean house.
Living for Him,
Join me this weekend over at Spiritual Sundays as more writers share their inspirational, heartfelt thoughts.
23 Comments
I found this devotional reading quite inspirational. Love your upbeat positive "nudge"!
ReplyDeleteI love this verse and try to remind myself to pray if often as I am not always aware of my sin. I love how you related it to cleaning house because it is the little dirt that gets unnoticed, not the big clutter!
ReplyDeleteHouse cleaning makes a great analogy for spiritual house cleaning. Thank you for the inspiration :)
ReplyDeleteHello Joan, lovely to meet you here. I agree with every word you have written. I used to get more of a thrill out of house cleaning, now I am not as methodical...but you have inspired me again.. also, cleaning out the clutter from our minds and lives, good advice.I pray that verse, "Create in me a clean heart" all the time.
ReplyDeleteGod bless you heaps. From Queenslands Oz.
I love this analogy, Joan. I've been doing some spiritual house cleaning this week and it's so refreshing when He restores our souls.
ReplyDeleteBlessings,
Joan
Motivating me to clean my house..."inside and out". Great analogy.
ReplyDeleteI love your post today,I truly need to to both.
ReplyDeleteGod Bless,
Ginger
As I work on my physical house this Saturday, I'll be mindful of my spiritual one as well. I'm looking forward to the results on both counts!
ReplyDeletepeace~elaine
What a great analogy Joan! I'm in the process this weekend of cleaning out the house. Maybe I need to apply that to my spiritual life too. Thanks for the reminder.
ReplyDeleteblessings and love,
Debbie
Amen, Joan. What a perfect post for this beautiful season. Thank you for sharing.
ReplyDeleteBlessings,
Charlotte
What a wonderful analogy, Joan. I like what Psalm 139 has to say and need to tuck those verses away. Sometimes I don't like the cleaning that I need to do, but God knows what is best!
ReplyDeleteGreat post. Our physical and spiritual environments are linked together aren't they!
ReplyDeleteIt's amazing that you can actually physically feel lighter when your spiritual house is in order & clean. The challenge always is keeping the junk from creeping back in to our hearts.
Sweet Blessings.
This was a great analogy for the work that we must allow the Spirit to do within us. There are too many cluttered and dirty corners in my heart to count! But, there's nothing better than letting in the SONshine - so I'll be digging around and doing some spring cleaning!
ReplyDeleteGOD BLESS
great analogy.....I like what you wrote. It's so true what you said.....☺
ReplyDeleteThis idea of spiritual house cleaning will be remembered as I clean my home. So true -- I do need to be mindful of the accumulated dirt that sneaks into my spiritual home.
ReplyDeleteBlessings on your Sabbath,
Pamela
Nothing like the sunlight and the Son's light to bring our flaws front and center. Good post.
ReplyDeleteSuch a great post and one I needed to read....
ReplyDeleteHave a good week
Hi Joan,
ReplyDeleteThis is such a thoughtful and inspiring post; one that has me reflecting on need to routinely perform the task of spiritual cleansing.
I've come to realize how calming house cleaning is for me, and I've discovered a joy in the work. Thank you so much for these words:
"When we submit ourselves to the Lord and ask Him to purify our hearts, His loving hands will draw to the surface the areas He wants made clean."
Blessings and peace.
MTJ
I love these scriptures you shared...and your devotion makes me want to grab my Windex...and more importantly, the Word!
ReplyDeleteGreat post.. it is always time for some good soul spring cleaning..
ReplyDeleteHave a blessed weekend
Great post! I tend to do more like a "monthly" cleaning instead of a "daily" one. Great verses for motivation and encouragement to spend time daily with Him.
ReplyDeleteGood reminder to see Him in ALL things as we walk daily with Him to guide us.
ReplyDeleteTruly effective.
ReplyDeleteoffice cleaning
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