REAL SPRING CLEANING
And he saith unto them, Are ye so without understanding also? Do ye not perceive, that whatsoever thing from without entereth into the man, it cannot defile him; because it entereth not into his heart, but into the belly, and goeth out into the draught, purging all meats? And he said, That which cometh out of the man, that defileth the man. For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders, Thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lasciviousness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness: All these evil things come from within, and defile the man. —Mark 7:18-23 (KJV)
It is God's will that, as children of God and as part of His kingdom, we become Christ-like in our thoughts, words and behavior. It is somewhat true that our actions speak louder than our words. Our actions, if not Christ-like, erase in the minds of people our words about Christ.
One definition of God is that God is love. If God is living in us and being formed in us, then love is being formed in us. The bottom line is that we will never really accomplish much in God's eyes until we have the fruit of the Spirit working at all times in our lives. Nothing can come out of us unless it is in us. Some things don't come out until we are pressed. When Jesus was pressed like a grape, out came love and words that said, “Father forgive them…” When Stephen was being stoned to death, out came words saying, “Father forgive them…”
Let's allow the Holy Spirit to cleanse us of everything that is not of God from the inside of us and to put the life of Christ in us. When we are pressed, out will come love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self control because they are the fruit of the Spirit of Jesus Christ who is supposed to be living inside of us.
Teachers give tests to see what is in their students. God allows testings to see what will come out of us. Too often when pressed, out comes unforgiveness, anger, bitterness, and resentment. These things make people around us unhappy when they come out of us, but they can't come out of us unless they are in us. If they make people unhappy when they see it come out of us, how happy can we really be carrying them around inside of us?
Some people will soon be calling cleaning services to help with what is commonly called "spring cleaning." There are businesses that specialize in organizing people's homes. They help decide what needs to stay and what needs to be thrown away. Let's call for the Holy Spirit to be our Helper and allow Him to do some "Real Spring Cleaning."
_____________________________ BIBLICAL APPLICATION: "Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You clean the outside of the cup and dish, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence. … First clean the inside of the cup and dish, and then the outside also will be clean. … You are like whitewashed tombs, which look beautiful on the outside but on the inside are full of dead men's bones and everything unclean.” Matthew 23:25-27 (NIV)
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