Create in me a clean heart, O God, and put a new and right spirit within me. Psalms 51:10 NRSV
I find something gratifying in cleaning the house. There is tangible evidence of the effort, the pet fur and dust swept off the hardwood floors, the spots mopped off the tile, mirrors washed, and toilets scrubbed. Ah, a deep breath of satisfaction in a job well done. The house is clean–for about two seconds. Then the dogs track dirt back in; I slosh coffee from my cup, etc. It's an endless cycle.
Today's verse is written by David, a man after God's own heart who kept a pretty clean spiritual house. But he recognized that despite his best effort to keep his home clean, sin kept getting tracked back in. There is a deep cleaning that only God can do. God not only sweeps away the sin but removes every speck of grime, getting between the flooring joints and tile grout.
Like David, we strive to keep our hearts clean. We reject temptation and stand against evil to the best of our human ability. Leaning heavily on the Holy Spirit do pretty well–but we have yet to attain the perfection of Christ. We need God's help daily to give us clean, spotless hearts and the right spirit.
Father, we confess we need your help in keeping our hearts clean. We try our best but acknowledge there are corners we overlook and places we do not see. So come into our hearts and sweep, scrub, polish, and shine. Make our hearts pure. Throw open the windows of our souls and let the Holy Spirit rush in, filling our houses. We pray this in Jesus' name. Amen.
Blessings,
Pastor Tim
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