Sometimes cleaning up the mess of winter is hard work. A couple of days ago my husband took on the chore of cleaning our back porch and deck to get it ready for the approaching warm days. Everything was covered with a thick layer of dirt and yellow pollen that clung to each surface with tenacity. It took several passes with a vacuum and multiple buckets of soapy water to clean away what the previous months had left behind. The grime out there was tenacious, but Bob was more tenacious still... and now our back porch and deck are ready to welcome guests and serve as a lovely place to sit with a cup of coffee, my devotional and Bible in hand, and start each day with the Lord.
Spring cleaning is not just needed in our homes and yards. It is probably even more necessary in our lives. When we are in close contact with God, He will be faithful to point out those areas of life in which we have an accumulation of dirt and disorder. He wants for us to tackle those old issues and clear them away so we can move freely into the future. Sometimes that job requires only that we seek His forgiveness for the past and step into the newness of life He provides. Sometimes we may be called to seek the forgiveness of others whom we have hurt along the way. Still other times it may be necessary for us to endure the consequences of our poor choices for a period of time as God allows us to learn from those painful experiences in hope that we will never again repeat them. Yet, when we have tackled those messes and cleared them away from our lives, we can step into a new springtime of fullness in Christ Jesus unencumbered by the mess of winters past.
The Holy Spirit has been sent to believers to reveal the truth in all things. His job is to prick the conscience and open the eyes of Christians so they can see and clearly recognize their need for change.
"He changes the times and the seasons; He removes kings and sets up kings. He gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to those who have understanding! He reveals the deep and secret things; He knows what is in the darkness, and the light dwells with Him!"
(Daniel 2:21-22)
If we will choose to listen to the Spirit, He will be faithful to reveal those things in our lives which must be cleared away if we are to be ready for a fresh, new beginning in Christ. Sometimes the work is hard because the issues are tenacious, but we can rest in the knowledge that God equips His children for every difficult task.
"For who is God except the Lord? Or who is the Rock save our God, the God who girds me with strength and makes my way perfect? He makes my feet like hinds' (deer's) feet [able to stand firmly or make progress on the dangerous heights of testing and trouble]; He sets me securely upon my high places. He teaches my hands to war, so that my arms can bend a bow of bronze. You have also given me the shield of Your salvation, and Your right hand has held me up; Your gentleness and condescension have made me great. You have give plenty of room for my steps under me, that my feet would not slip."
(Psalm 18:31-36)
The best part of spring cleaning is the finished product. When my house is sparkling clean and tidy, I can look around with a feeling of pride and accomplishment in the completed work I have done. It's the same in our lives. Clearing away the clutter and grime of our past lives leaves us free to bask in the glory of the completed work of Jesus Christ on our behalf. He is able to make all things new. Sometimes we are given tasks to complete along the way, but He will walk with us faithfully and give us the courage and tenacity to do what must be done so that we may plant our feet firmly on salvation's new height. Once secure on that higher plane, we need not fear that God will allow us to slip back into the mess of our past. He will forever be our Rock and our Salvation.
I pray you will find the courage to begin the process of spring cleaning today. Seek the guidance of the Holy Spirit to reveal those areas which need to be tackled first, and then begin. With a little time and a whole lot of tenacity, you will witness the finished product in which you can take pride and know you have been obedient in all things. A fresh start feels so good!
"That if possible I may attain to the [spiritual and moral] resurrection [that lifts me] out from among the dead [even while in the body]. Not that I have now attained [this ideal], or have already been made perfect, but I press on to lay hold of (grasp) and make my own, that for which Christ Jesus (the Messiah) has laid hold of me and made me His own. I do not consider, brethren, that I have captured and made it my own [yet]; but one thing I do [it is my one aspiration]: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the [supreme and heavenly] prize to which God in Christ Jesus is calling us upward."
(Philippians 4:11-14, Amplified Bible)
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