Getting Rid of Clutter!

I spent about an hour this past Saturday cleaning up in my back yard (the snow had finally made enough of a retreat that I was able to get out and about!). You might be wondering just what I was cleaning up? My five heritage river birch trees (which have grown very nicely since I planted them five years ago) had decided during the winter months to shed a large number of branches. These branches ranged in size from small twigs to a few really sizeable branches. So it took me quite some time to gather them up (and on Sunday morning my back reminded me of my Saturday afternoon effort).

Just as I cleaned up the back yard of these fallen branches that were littering the ground, so we must "clean up" our hearts from time to time of the clutter that gathers there. If we fail to do this, all the accumulated "stuff" can threaten to crowd God out. This clutter might be sin ... and if so we must repent of it and confess it (knowing that when we confess our sins to God he is "faithful and just to forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness" - 1 John 1:9). But the clutter might be things that are not actually sinful in and of themselves. The book of Hebrews refers to this kind of clutter as "everything that hinders" (see Hebrews 12:1-2). This could include TV watching, a fanaticism with a certain sports team, consumerism or a whole host of other things. Let me encourage you to take some time, if not today - tomorrow - to take a look into your heart. Ask yourself (and ask the Spirit of God to help you with this) if there is any clutter you need to "clean up" so that God won't get pushed out!

Thanks for stopping by . . .

pj