As I
mentioned in a recent 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. “Come to Me, all you who labor and are
heavy-laden and overburdened,
and I will cause you to rest. [I will ease and relieve and refresh your souls.]” (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.
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