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12/1/12

CLEAN HOUSE


Sunday devotional for 12/02/12

Advent is a time of preparation.  In some homes, preparation for Christmas includes a thorough cleaning of the house in anticipation of visitors.  When we clean our homes, we can either do a cursory job and simply stash things in an inconspicuous place and  quickly straighten up what is obviously seen.  Or we can completely clean everything, washing windows, cleaning drapes and blinds, dusting, vacuuming, scrubbing floors, washing woodwork and baseboards, and the list goes on and on.  The more comprehensive we are at this cleaning, the more time it takes and the more exhausted we may become.  But the results are a beautiful home and the satisfaction of a job well done.  This "house cleaning" mirrors what we also can do for spiritual renewal.  Either we simply say we are sorry for obvious mistakes we are caught making, or we can do an exhaustive confession with a personal inventory of all our wrongs and issues.  This type of thorough spiritual house cleaning can be emotionally draining, but the results can be an amazing transformation as we ask God to help us change our ways.  God is the one who does the actual cleansing of our hearts and souls and gives us the power to transform our lives.  We do this personal soul searching and confession of our sins, known and unknown, as a response to God's love for us.  We change our ways in thanks for what God has already done for us in his mercy, forgiving our sins and giving us eternal life.  This is how we become good witnesses to others of God's love in his Son, sent to earth as a baby boy, whose birth we commemorate at Christmas.

May you have a completely clean house, physically and spiritually, this Advent/preparation season!


Psalm 51:1-2 (36 kb)

Have mercy on me, O God, according to your unfailing love; according to your great compassion blot out my transgressions.  Wash away all my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin...  Cleanse me with hyssop, and I will be clean; wash me, and I will be whiter than snow...  Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me...   Then I will teach transgressors your ways, and sinners will turn back to you.  Psalm 51:1-2, 7, 10, 13  NIV

written by Jan Andersen
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