January 25, 2023
“Let all bitterness, anger and wrath, shouting and slander be removed from you, along with all malice.” – Ephesians 4:31
Wednesday is trash day at my house. As you can imagine, with seven people living in our home, it is important to pay someone to come get all the garbage each week. Speaking of spending money on trash, yesterday I bought a new trash can for my shop. I found it interesting that I spent $25 on something just to fill it up with stuff that is worthless. Then that got me thinking about the fact that last time I got our septic inspected, they informed me I was going to need a new septic tank in the near future. This is the trash can situation taken to the extreme…I’m going to spend $8,000 on something that I’m just going to fill up with “crap”! How crazy is that?! But if you want a nice home, it’s not just about painting, decorating, comfortable furniture, or new appliances. You have to be very intentional about devoting time and money to getting rid of the garbage.
The same is true of our spiritual lives. We all have garbage that we need to remove. The point of attending church, reading your Bible, and prayer is not just to show you what needs to be added to your life, but to also show you what needs to be taken away. As we draw closer to Christ, he will illuminate the dark corners of our life. We should begin to see more clearly the trash that is keeping us from living the abundant life he has called us to. And as he does that, we should begin to make intentional plans to get rid of that trash. This means we will probably need to change habits, hobbies, and relationships. These changes are often difficult and costly. However, you will never have the life that God desires for you unless you are ready to get rid of the waste that is stinking up the place right now.
Almighty God, shine Your light into the dark places of our lives. Show us the trash. Give us a desire and a plan to get rid of it. Clean us up and make us ready to receive Your blessings.
In Christ’s Service,
Pastor Shane Cannon