January 7, 2007
Spiritual Bath
Hi, I’m just sitting here in my front window with my little Bischon’s, Cally and Shadow, watching the light of day come into being. Not so pretty out there today. The major snow storms here in Colorado have created some rather stinky situations that people are grumbling about. We’re all wondering what happened to the mail carrier's motto -- "Neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night stays these couriers from the swift completion of their appointed rounds". Maybe they rode horses when they came up with that motto. The wheels of the trash trucks don’t turn well in whiteouts and huge snow drifts either. As I gaze up and down the street lined with now three weeks worth of holiday trash I marvel at how dependant we all are on somebody else doing something for us that we should be able to do for ourselves. I don’t want to be one of those able bodied people who wait around helplessly to be rescued! I’ve got a Savior! He’s built into me all the resources I need to reach out and attend to those in need as well as my needs. You can bet at the turn of the century there were no trash trucks coming to your street. Ha! There were no streets! Nobody brought your mail to you. You went to the town post office to pick up your own mail. Another thing that popped into my head – this would probably be a time of year that people would take a bath Wild West style. People were pretty ripe in those days. Guess that’s why most people worked outdoors.
With my thoughts going to turn of the century folks being ripe and the trash out my front door being ripe, maybe God wants me to check my spiritual life. We don’t want that to get ripe! Hey! Maybe I need a spiritual bath! Ya want to take a spiritual bath with me?
It’s perfect timing with a new year and all. So! Come on! Bow your hearts and let us cleanse!
A pearl to string:
Cleanse Your Heart - We can't actually clean ourselves. We need to draw near to God and ask Him to do the cleansing.
Psalm 51:10 Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me. KJV
Hebrews 10:22 Let us draw near to God with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water.
Matthew 5:8 Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God. NKJV
Clean Out Your Mouth - As your heart gets clean, your language should follow. This is not just talking about bad language, but also negative talk and pessimistic thoughts that contradict the Word of God and faith. This includes the challenge to stop complaining.
Luke 6:45 The good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and the evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart. For out of the overflow of his heart his mouth speaks.
Philippians 2:14 Do everything without complaining or arguing...
Renew Your Mind - Take Out the Garbage: Don’t wait for the truck!
This is one of the biggest areas of struggle for most of us -- removing the garbage from our minds. Garbage in equals garbage out. We must feed our minds and spirits the Word of God instead of the garbage of this world.
Romans 12:2 Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.
2 Corinthians 10:5 We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.
Repent from Hidden Sin – Hidden sin will destroy your life, your peace, and even your health. The Bible says to confess your sin - tell someone, and reach out for help. When your spiritual closets are clean, the heaviness from hidden sin will lift.
Psalm 32:3-5 When I kept silent, my bones wasted away through my groaning all day long. For day and night your hand was heavy upon me; my strength was sapped as in the heat of summer. Then I acknowledged my sin to you and did not cover up my iniquity. I said, "I will confess my transgressions to the LORD"—and you forgave the guilt of my sin.
Release Unforgiveness and Bitterness - Any sin will weigh you down, but long kept unforgiveness and bitterness is like that old baggage in the attic you just can't seem to part with. You are so familiar with it; you don't even realize how it is hindering your life. Get Rid of Old Baggage
Hebrews 12:1 Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily hinders our progress. And let us run with endurance the race that God has set before us. NLT
Ephesians 4:31-32 Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.
Involve Jesus in Your Daily Life - Let the Son Shine In: What God wants most from you is relationship -- friendship. He wants to be involved in the big and the small moments of your life. Open up your life; let the light of God's presence shine into every part of your life.
1 Corinthians 1:9 God ... is the one who invited you into this wonderful friendship with his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord. NLT
Psalm 56:13 For you have rescued me from death; you have kept my feet from slipping. So now I can walk in your presence, O God, in your life-giving light. NLT
Learn to Laugh at Yourself and at Life: Some of us take life too seriously, or we take ourselves too seriously. Jesus wants you to enjoy yourself, and learn to have some fun. God made you for His pleasure!
Psalm 28:7 The LORD is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in him, and I am helped. My heart leaps for joy and I will give thanks to him in song.
Psalm 126:2 Our mouths were filled with laughter, our tongues with songs of joy. Then it was said among the nations, "The LORD has done great things for them."
Refreshed and cleansed by His love,
Lyndi
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