Dusting Furniture and Myself

About two months ago, I completely renovated our bedroom. We needed a mattress and wanted a bigger bed, so we thought it was the best time to "upgrade". Since I was going to have to take a lot of stuff out of the bedroom to move in the new bed, I decided that this was also the time to finally paint the bland, white walls - something I have wanted to do ever since I moved in this house. Well, as you know, whenever you paint you have to do a bit of cleaning first. Dust the baseboards, wipe down the walls, etc.

Before I go any further, I have to admit that I had my work cut out for me. Until May of this year, I worked outside the home full-time, and in doing so, I neglected some of the housework - namely the bedroom because VISITORS DON'T VISIT YOUR BEDROOM, they visit the living room, the dining room, and, in my house, the kitchen. Needless to say, there was an inch of dust on everything, the dresser was piled up with all sorts of stuff, and the hardwood floor, what you could see of it, didn't quite shine like it should.

Since the transformation, I have kept the room fairly tidy, but I was starting to notice my old friend, Mr. Dust! I let Mr. Dust take control about a month too long and today I finally decided that enough is enough. Unless I wanted to revert my room to its old condition, I had to take action.

As I was dusting, I began to meditate on the things of God and it hit me, "had my Spiritual life become like my room?" When I was lost, my life was filled with all sorts of dirty sin. Every nook and cranny of my heart was covered in filth. It couldn't clean itself; in fact, it didn't even know it needed to be cleaned. But then God, in His awesome Glory, pierced my heart and I was "...washed...sanctified...justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God" (I Corinthians 6:11). And after I was cleanesed, my heart was transformed from one of stone to one of flesh, and the Spirit of God took residence (Ezekiel 36:25-26).

Now, just like that room, I'm beginning to see cobwebs in the corners and what was cleaned now has a thin layer of dust on it. As believers, we were made clean, but we also must continue to be cleansed. As I examined my heart, I realized that I had been failing to continue to be cleansed, lacking in my sanctification. "For just as you once presented your members as slaves to impurity and to lawlessness leading to more lawlessness, so now present your members as slaves to righteousness leading to sanctification." (Romans 6:19)

When I was justified (saved), my unrighteousness (sin) was imputed (layed upon) on Christ and His righteousness was imputed (layed upon / credited to) on me. Therefore, I am now a slave to righteousness and must continue in sanctification (growing in grace and knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ).

May we all continue to be "transformed by the renewal of our mind, that by testing we may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect." (Romans 12:2). Let our prayer be as David's (Psalm 51:7-12):

"Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean; wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.
Let me hear joy and gladness; let the bones that you have broken rejoice.
Hide your face from my sins, and blot out all my iniquities.
Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me.
Cast me not away from your presence, and take not your Holy Spirit from me.
Restore to me the joy of your salvation, and uphold me with a willing spirit."

God's Blessings,
Trish Clardy