A Clean Heart

by Cheryl S.
from Virtuous Daughters, February 2007~Volume 6, Number 11

Darling Virtuous Daughters,
  
​As the beginning of the new year is generally a time when we all do a good clean up, I thought of some tips to help us clean up our spiritual lives as well...

Dust!!
Dust sure seems to collect, doesn’t it? It’s a sign that something’s been sitting for awhile. Do we have any dust collected on our Bibles? With the hustle and bustle of Christmas and the new year, have our quiet times been lacking? So brush the dust off, girls, and let’s get reading! [See 2 Timothy 2:15.]
 
Wash the Dishes!!
We want clean dishes to put our food on, thus allowing what goes in our bodies to be healthy for us to eat.  In the same way, by only allowing good things to surround us, when it’s time to ingest something with our eyes, ears, or minds, it will be healthy for us spiritually as well. How do our bookshelves look?  Are there good books on them?  What about video/computer games? What about the music CDs on our CD rack? We will be ingesting thoughts and feelings through listening to them as well.
  
One thing our family did about eight years ago was a cleaning like never before! We asked ourselves if there was anything in our home that we wouldn’t want Jesus to see if He walked through the front door. We went through every room and  considered toys, books, movies, music, clothes, games, and the like. We continue to try to keep a close guard on the things that come into our home. [ See Philippians 4:8.]
 
Scrub the Toilets!!
Eeek! This is a dirty job that no one likes to do! But it has to be done. This represents the ugly sin in our lives that has to be dealt with. It’s not a fun job, but one that must be done. Now when we scrub the toilets, do we just scrub the outside and close the lid? No, because sooner or later, the truth will be revealed. So the same goes with us. Sooner or later, what’s inside our hearts will be made known to those around us. We can’t just clean the outside—like talking respectfully to our parents or authority. We must clean the inside as well—like having a good attitude about our parents or authority. [See Psalm 90:8.]
 
Sweep the Floor!!
This makes me think of the little crumbs that fall to the ground that you don’t see until you sweep them in a pile. This could be the “little” sins that go easily unnoticed in our lives. Did we speak unkindly to someone in our family today? Were we selfish? Ask the Lord to show these “little” sins to you. Confess them and ask forgiveness both from the Lord and anyone you offended.

And remember one last thing: when we clean, we use tools, not just our own hands. Can you imagine sweeping the floor or cleaning the toilets with just our hands? So it is with our spiritual lives. God has given us tools to clean up with—the Bible and prayer. Use them! [See Psalm 51:10.]

Happy Cleaning!
 
 
A day hemmed in prayer is less likely to unravel.
—Anonymous