Caring for Our Own House

As I mentioned in my last post, I have been helping a friend pack up her house to move away. In order for her and her eldest son to meet the rest of the family in time for Christmas, my husband, son and I offered to do some of the final cleanup on the home before it was turned back to the landlord. Between this and the hours I have been putting in at my two part time jobs, I have had little time to give the needed attention to my own home. Putting up all the Christmas decorations and preparing food for both Christmas and New Year’s celebrations has added to the disarray that is now in most every room in my home.
So now on New Year’s Day my husband and son are helping me begin the task of getting our home back in order. We must go through some of the items that have been put aside over the past few weeks as well as get to some basic cleaning that has been put off. Although dishes and laundry have been kept up with, the rest of the house requires some attention. The care that I generally give too my home has been neglected and it shows.
If we are not careful the same thing can happen to us spiritually. We can become involved in a God given opportunity to pour into the life of someone else. This need may be time sensitive and require our immediate attention. We can also become caught up in the ordinary things of life such as jobs or other regularly scheduled activities. Add in some other special events and we may soon fine that we have neglected our time with the Heavenly Father which is vital to our own spiritual health. We have become tired, weak and possibly overwhelmed. Soon our internal house is no longer in order.
It simply takes a little daily time with the Lord to keep our spiritual homes in order. We cannot keep giving to others if we do not find our own strength in the Lord. “…But David encouraged and strengthened himself in the Lord his God.” (1 Samuel 30:6b AMP) Just as we strengthen our bodies by eating nutritious foods, we strengthen our spiritual body by taking in the Word of God daily. ^“ You have said, Seek My face [inquire for and require My presence as your vital need]. My heart says to You, Your face (Your presence), Lord, will I seek, inquire for, and require [of necessity and on the authority of Your Word].” (Psalm 27:8 AMP) We require time with the Lord daily. Spending this time seeking Him will prevent negative thoughts or behaviors from taking up residency in our lives.
With all of the extra clutter in our house I would not have wanted company to visit. The only visitors that we have had are some close friends that understood the situation we were in and did not think anything of the appearance of our home. I would have been unwilling to invite anyone else over during this time.
When we think about our spiritual homes we know that scripture calls our body the dwelling place of the Holy Spirit. “Do you not know that your body is the temple (the very sanctuary) of the Holy Spirit Who lives within you, Whom you have received [as a Gift] from God? You are not your own,” (1 Corinthians 6:19 AMP) Do we really want Him to live in the disarray? Do we really want Him to live with us yet not be sought out for guidance and simple conversation? Hopefully the answer is no. Then it is time to be concerned with getting our home in order.
Jesus has provided us with this wonderful invitation.   (Matthew 11:28 AMP) We can turn to Him through the Scriptures and quiet times listening to His voice. In the business of life and serving others we need refreshing often. ^“My soul yearns for You [O Lord] in the night, yes, my spirit within me seeks You earnestly;” (Isaiah 26:9a AMP) When we seek we will then become strong and able to give out to others.
If you have become busy with other things and neglected time with the Lord, turn to Him today.  Do not allow anything to keep you from this life giving and life sustaining time.