The sun is out in all it's glory this morning, warming my back as I sit at my dining room table. As much as I love the sun, I also hate the things it reveals... My windows are covered in fingerprints and nose-prints from children and a black and white fuzz-bucket named Max. Not to mention all the cobwebs and dust bunnies (as well as clumps of black hair from the aforementioned fuzz bucket) that have taken up residence throughout the nooks and crannies of the house! Oh how I need to do a deep and thorough cleaning...then maybe I can finally get that fresh coat of paint upstairs! There is nothing quite like a clean, uncluttered house with a fresh coat of paint...it makes it seem new again, doesn't it? It's the "doing" that I dislike, so I tend to put those things off that I know need to get done.
My life has it's own cobwebs and dust bunnies that have taken up residence in the recesses of my heart. Anger, bitterness, unforgiveness and pride are always there, but not always visible. I am really good at ignoring this sin, but I know it's there, lurking about in the nooks and crannies, growing like the dust bunnies in my house. I need to deal with it, but I'd much rather put it off...perhaps if I ignore it, it will just go away? I know this is not true...just a lie I like to tell myself. But today, just as the sun poured through the windows of my home, the Lord shined His Light into those dark areas of my heart and brought my sin, screaming and kicking, into the plain sight of my conscience. Conviction that leads to repentance is painful, yet necessary if we are to move forward in our relationship with Jesus. And oh how sweet is the love and forgiveness that awaits us when we come to Him, broken and undone, baring all that we have hidden in our hearts! The dinginess caused by the burden of sin is replaced by the bright, unencumbered love and joy of our Savior.
Today, as I begin to face the dust bunnies in my home, I will begin to face the sin in my heart. Just as the deep cleaning of my home will not get done in one day, niether will my sanctification...I am "a work in progress". Yet, as I eagerly await the reward of a fresh coat of paint for the upstairs of my home, I am already reaping the reward of the joy from the spiritual cleansing of my heart!
Lord, I am so very thankful to You for shining Your Light through the windows of my soul, revealing the hidden sin that has clouded my heart...
"For nothing is secret that will not be revealed, nor anything hidden that will not be known and come to light." ~Luke 8:17
These are wonderful devotional thoughts. Your to do list sounds a lot like mine. But it's January...I can't seem to get motivated. That's my excuse anyway.
ReplyDeleteAnd then there are those stubborn dust bunnies of the heart...an even more difficult process...
Blessings