SPRING CLEANING

Spring is coming.....at least that is what the calendar says! We still have a lot of snow on the ground, and it was -4 this morning, but we know that spring will get here one of these days.....and that usually means spring cleaning time!Here is a great "spring cleaning" devotional I read this morning...

SPRING CLEANING FOR THE HEART AND SOUL by Julia Bettencourt

"Create in me a clean heart, O God; andrenew a right spirit within me." Psalm 51:10As spring approaches we develop that urge to make everything in our house clean and in order. The winter months have been long and we begin itching to revive our houses and acquire that freshness that we want to invade us as the first signs of spring arrive. Everything outside is singing with new life. The buds are coming out on the trees, birds are chirping, and the daffodils are beginning to bloom. We long to bring that newness into our homes so we begin, most of us by turning our homes upside down as we clean out closets, take things apart, clean and scour. We reach into every dark corner of our homes in order to make itpresentable, fresh, and new.

Sometimes we need to do the same thing with our spiritual houses. We need to take stock and clean up and give them a good strong scrubbing. All of us grow stale sometimes and need a spiritual freshening up. Things always get tucked back in the recesses of our spiritual closets that aren't needed. We accumulategrime and dirt on our spiritual floors and walls. From time to time we need to turn our spiritual homes upside down and clean them inside and out.

                                Get rid of junk.
Are there things in your life that are just junk and cluttering up your life? Are there things getting in your way of serving Christ to your greatest potential? Are things like worry, anger, gossip, and bad habits cluttering up your life?  Then…..

                              Gather cleaning tools.
When you clean your house you gather together your cleaning tools, such as scrub brushes, mops, and brooms. All you need to clean your spiritual house is one thing - the Word of God. It is your all-purpose cleaning tool and contains everything you'll need.
  
                           Determine to keep it clean.
Usually when we finish cleaning our own homes, we look around and say that we'll never let the clutter pile up that high again and we determine not to let it. We should do the same for our spiritual house. Determine not to let it get dirty again. The only way to accomplish this is to keep it up daily by feasting on God's Word and being sensitive to the Holy Spirit to work in our lives.

Are you caught up on your spring cleaning?