‘Sanctify the house of the Lord God of your fathers and carry out the rubbish.’ 2 Chronicles 29:5 NKJV
In Scotland they have a New Year’s tradition that involves cleaning out your house, dumping the old ashes from your fireplace, and paying off your outstanding debts. It’s about clearing out the old to make room for the new. And from time to time you must clean your spiritual house too. The Bible says, ‘Carry out the rubbish.’ Why? Because over time wrong attitudes, shoddy workmanship, and bad habits creep in and blind us to what’s important.
Sheila Coleman says: ‘Ten years ago I cleaned house from top to bottom. I dusted every nook and cranny… scrubbed the bath and every sink until they shone. I even took a toothbrush to the grout in the kitchen. That house had never been so clean. And today—ten years later… it’s still clean. I’ve never had to pick up another duster… vacuum… or wash the kitchen counter… and my house looks as clean as it did that day, right? WRONG! We continually need spiritual house cleaning because we live in a dirty world. Just as our homes… cars and clothes have to be maintained… our hearts—our spiritual homes—need to be cleaned on a regular basis. Not once a week or once a month, and certainly not once every ten years, or once in a lifetime. We need to let God have His way in us every day, to clean us up and renew us… Is there a room in your “house” you haven’t allowed Him to clean? If it’s been a while since God did a thorough heart-cleaning, make this your prayer: Lord, clean my heart so You can live and shine through me.’
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