Cleaning House

Now I've been cleaning house since I was about 7 or 8 years old. I didn't have any sisters - only two younger brothers. So when Saturday came around. . .well, let's just say my parents were under the impression that mom didn't dirty up the house on her own. And the rule was, no TV/cartoons until the house was clean. That means we were up at 7:00 changing sheets, dusting, sweeping, cleaning bathrooms, doing laundry, mopping, and the like. Sometimes mom thought we ought to clean a little more. That entailed wiping down baseboards, stripping and waxing floors, and other things that still cause me nightmares to this day (the therapist says I'm making progress).

Mom taught me about cleaning house. I like a clean house. Do I keep it as clean as mom? Probably not, then again, not many people do. One lesson she taught me was that it's much easier if you do it a little at a time. But when spring came around, we opened the windows and went through the house top to bottom.

Reading Jeremiah 47-49, you'll find God cleaning house. And when God cleans house, He really cleans house. He is about to clean house, not just with Judah, but the surrounding nations as well.

I don't know why He's taking out His anger on these other nations. Maybe it's their influence on His people, the Israelites. I guess that's one way to get rid of negative influences in their lives. Then again, this would not be the first time He's wiped out nations. In Genesis He destroyed the entire population of the world because of man's corruption. Again, I can only speculate that God is tired of the influences and distractions these nations have become to His precious children.

I do know that God is sovereign. And He is both merciful and just. There is no one who escapes His eye. He also desires us to worship Him and Him alone. He rewards the faithful - like the Recabites. But He punishes the disobedient - just ask Zedekiah. You see, God wants their obedience, their faithfulness, their worship, too.

I remember mom would tell me to clean up my room. After several warnings, she finally had enough and all hell would break loose. Believe me, it wasn't pretty. Guess what? My room got cleaned up, but it would have been so much eaiser if I would have just kept it clean or cleaned it when she told me to the first time. A lot less crying and gnashing of teeth - if you know what I mean. Does your "room" need to be cleaned up?

God wants us clean. . .He wants our obedience. . .He desires our heart. . .He loves our worship.

So, how's your room. . .your life? How many times does He have to tell you to clean it up? What do you need to do to clean up your room? What's laying around that needs to be picked up? What dirt needs to be identified and scrubbed away?

Sometimes we become so accustomed to the grime in our lives that we don't even recognize it for what it is. If you don't realize you've got some stuff that needs God's scrubbing bubbles, ask Him to show you what needs to be cleaned away. He wants you clean, so He will definitely help.



Now where's that Windex (I thought I didn't do windows. Oh well),
Mike