Cleaning House

I have been in a purge everything and ‘Get it out of my house!’ mood! My main focus has really been the children’s clothes. We have been so blessed with clothes being handed down to us! I think part of my attitude right now this stems from the big, bad laundry monster. That is one of those chores that I dislike very much, and find it difficult some days to keep up with all of it.

So, I’ve been cleaning house. Seriously. No messing around! I’m very much the ‘gung-ho’, ‘all or nothing attitude’, so I’m just ready for the house to get in order. However, I’m also the ‘make more of a mess then clean it up’ sort. So needless to say, the house has gotten to be more of mess, but, we’re on the upswing and I’m getting it together.

This morning I was reading John chapter 2. Here is part of the passage:

“When it was almost time for the Jewish Passover, Jesus went up to Jerusalem. In the temple courts he found men selling cattle, sheep and doves, and others sitting at tables exchanging money. So he made a whip out of cords, and drove all from the temple area, both sheep and cattle; he scattered the coins of the money changers and overturned their tables. To those who sold doves he said, “Get these out of here! How dare you turn my Father’s house into a market!”

Jesus needed to clean house too! Since I’ve been pretty consumed with this the past couple days, this really hit home for me. I’ve been busy cleaning my physical house. Taking care of it, purging it of what we don’t need, or use anymore, bagging up clothes, cleaning, shedding the excess of stuff we have.

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And, of course, my mind starts wandering a bit and digging a bit deeper on this one. How much more important is it to get rid of those things which have no place in my spiritual life? To get my temple clean! It is time to say:

“Search me, O God, and know my heart;
test me and know my anxious thoughts.
 See if there is any offensive way in me,
and lead me in the way everlasting.”

We need to allow the Holy Spirit to do His work in us. To refine us, even if it is by fire. Maybe it is time to throw certain movies or books out, that you know influence you negatively. Or maybe, it is time to find new friends who will encourage you in your walk with Christ. Maybe it is time to evaluate what is truly and honestly priority in life, and maybe, things need to get rearranged. Maybe it is time for some serious ‘house cleaning’ in your life.

Am I taking this temple and using it for my own purposes? Are we seeking the Word to see what our lives should look like? Or, do we pick and choose what we like and don’t like from the Bible and live life according to that? If I believe the Bible is truly the inspired word of God, than I have to take it for what it says. I don’t have the option to throw any of it out the window because it doesn’t settle well with me!

It is a hard thing to ask God to search us, rest us, and know my thoughts. It might be even harder to ask him to reveal the truth about me to myself. However, I’m going to be willing to do that. What about you?

Blessings,