[442 words]
Cathy brought to my attention Monday morning that Jan. 8 was National “Clean Your Desk” Day. And just for those who have been terribly concerned about my desk “clutter”, here is a picture of my hard work Monday morning. Now just for clarification, I did not clean the desk because of a “National Day”, but I did recognize that it was long overdue. When you find papers at the bottom of a pile dated 2013, then it is really long overdue! Maybe this should become one of my New Year resolutions!
As I looked at my clean desk I started thinking about our lives in Christ and how that through the year we may allow burdens and sins to build up to a spiritually unhealthy level. (Sin is always unhealthy!) When we reach that point in our lives, we need to stop and “clean out” those burdens and begin fresh. To accomplish a thorough cleaning, it is necessary to “examine ourselves” (2 Corinthians 13:5) to determine what is unnecessary in our lives and what has truly become a burden. Much of what I had allowed to pile up on my desk was really of no importance and could easily be tossed in the trash. It may very well be the same with the burdens and sins in our lives.
Once the desk is clean, perhaps the greatest challenge begins: keeping the desk clean! Jesus tells a parable of an unclean spirit going out of a man, only to return and find that the “house” has been swept and put in order. The spirit then proceeds to bring in seven other spirits more wicked than itself and “the last state of that man becomes worse than the first” (Matthew 12:43-45). Once we have relieved ourselves of our burdens, we need to take steps to keep ourselves free from those burdens. Spend time in prayer, read God’s Word, be faithful in worshipping with the saints, and find ways to fill your time with service to others. When we fill our time with those “good things” for the Lord, we have no time to take on burdens that only tend to weigh us down and keep us from being productive for the Lord.
One last thought: Burdens and sins in our lives separate us from God (Isaiah 59:2). To allow those burdens and sins to keep us separated from God will only lead to eternal damnation. We don’t have to have a “clean your life” day to rid ourselves of our burdens and sins. We can seek and receive forgiveness from our Father each and every day (1 John 1:9).
Paul Mowrer
Monticello, AR