Time for spring cleaning!

It’s almost Spring!  And there is just something about this time of year that makes us want to clean out stuff and freshen up our homes.  But, for now, let’s put aside thoughts of cleaning our house and think more about cleaning out our heart.  We tend to keep lots of things inside our heart that have no business being in there.  Didn’t we forgive that transgression years ago?  Then what is it still doing lurking in the corner?  What about that bitterness?  It looks like it is starting to grow roots!  I see some negative thoughts floating around like dust in the air.  What about that prideful attitude stuffed inside and bursting at the seams?  And how about that spot of anger that needs to be cleansed?  Time to clean up!

Galatians 6:22-23 has just what we need:  “But the fruit of the spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control.  Against such there is no law.”  Let’s grab some joy and splash it on that hard and crusty attitude and spray a little kindness around for a sweet-smelling aroma.  A little longsuffering here and a little goodness over there mixed in with some faithfulness and self-control creates an atmosphere of pure love.  Ahhhh, feel the warm gentleness breeze as it blows through our heart giving us that wonderful peace.  How refreshing God’s Word is when we apply it to our lives and allow the Holy Spirit to cleanse our hearts.

Another good verse to get us in the right mood is Philippians 4:8 “Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy – meditate on these things.”  If we spend our time doing what this verse says, there won’t any room to store those “things” we don’t need .   Cleaning is so much easier when we don’t have a bunch of “stuff” in the way.  So, pack it up and give it to God.  Then we can fill our hearts with lovely things.

Spring cleaning is good but Spiritual cleaning is the best!