Spring Cleaning

This is the time of the year that we hear people talk about doing their “spring cleaning.” Why spring cleaning? Because winter is for many a harsh season in which our homes get dirty from things like snow, rain, and the resultant mud which seeps into carpets and floors. Winter also is not usually conducive to getting windows clean and even the air in our houses can get stale because we have kept them closed for so long. Our houses need to be purged of dirt and we need new and fresh odors and clean air to keep us breathing and to promote good health. Often spring cleaning reveals things around our homes that need repair as well.

For Christians, this is a good time to “clean” up ourselves as well. Why? Here is why.

1 Corinthians 3:16-17
Do you not know that you are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in you?
If anyone destroys God’s temple, God will destroy him. For God’s temple is holy, and you are that temple.

Is God’s temple, the place where God dwells in every believer, not more important than the very home we dwell in? The answer is obvious; of course it is, yet many of us have let ourselves be dirtied by the winters of life.

The past weeks I have been studying the various kings of the Bible. If any particular theme seems to run through the story of these kings, it is that most of them did not do what was right in God’s eyes. After King David, we see this progression of kings roll through, some bad; some good.

We read this of many of the kings.

2 Kings 8:17-18
He was thirty-two years old when he became king, and he reigned eight years in Jerusalem.
And he walked in the way of the kings of Israel, as the house of Ahab had done, for the daughter of Ahab was his wife. And he did what was evil in the sight of the LORD.

We read this of Jehu.

2 Kings 10:28-31
Thus Jehu wiped out Baal from Israel.
But Jehu did not turn aside from the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, which he made Israel to sin—that is, the golden calves that were in Bethel and in Dan. And the LORD said to Jehu, “Because you have done well in carrying out what is right in my eyes, and have done to the house of Ahab according to all that was in my heart, your sons of the fourth generation shall sit on the throne of Israel.” But Jehu was not careful to walk in the law of the LORD, the God of Israel, with all his heart. He did not turn from the sins of Jeroboam, which he made Israel to sin.

We see some kings who were simply put; evil. We see some who did good; yet were not careful to walk in the law of the Lord with all their heart.

Some were like Jehoash.

2 Kings 12:2-3
And Jehoash did what was right in the eyes of the LORD all his days, because Jehoiada the priest instructed him. Nevertheless, the high places were not taken away; the people continued to sacrifice and make offerings on the high places.

So, what is the lesson for us in all this? The lesson must lead us to ask a question of ourselves? What kind of “king” am I? No, we are not really the king, but we are responsible for the care of the Temple of God. Are we simply evil? Have we wiped out the major sins in our life, yet are content to allow “golden calves” to exist within our own life because we are not careful to walk fully by the law of God? Do we do what is right in the eyes of God, yet we have failed to take away the high places?

It is possible that we have convinced ourselves that our worship of God is right, but in truth we are worshipping on high places. It is possible, according to the lessons of scripture, to do this. You can sit in a church every Sunday and still not be worshipping God in a way that pleases Him. How? By simply not doing it the Biblical way. By letting the ways of world dictate how you worship and serve God in lieu of simply following scripture. By not giving Him all the glory for every single blessing of your life.

This topic is deep and it needs way more consideration than this short blog can give. But this morning as I studied in 2 Kings 18-20 I believe there is good counsel on where to begin our spiritual spring cleaning. Take a look at King Hezekiah.

2 Kings 18:1-6
 In the third year of Hoshea son of Elah, king of Israel, Hezekiah the son of Ahaz, king of Judah, began to reign. He was twenty-five years old when he began to reign, and he reigned twenty-nine years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Abi the daughter of Zechariah. And he did what was right in the eyes of the LORD, according to all that David his father had done. He removed the high places and broke the pillars and cut down the Asherah. And he broke in pieces the bronze serpent that Moses had made, for until those days the people of Israel had made offerings to it (it was called Nehushtan). He trusted in the LORD, the God of Israel, so that there was none like him among all the kings of Judah after him, nor among those who were before him. For he held fast to the LORD. He did not depart from following him, but kept the commandments that the LORD commanded Moses.

Hezekiah put God first and desired to follow all His commandments. He did what many of us need to do. Destroy the sins in our lives. All of them; not just the ones we don’t care for. The New Testament is chocked full of instruction about doing this. Galatians 5:24 is a clear picture of what this looks like as it tells us that “those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.”

Crucified the flesh. That’s a strong way to speak of what we should do with our sinful nature. But if we take a hard look at our lives and our faith by comparing our conduct with the commandments of scripture, most of us will find we have some cleaning to do. We need to tear down some high places. We need to get rid of some golden calves. And we need to do it as Hezekiah did; not just hide them in a closet, but we must break them into pieces. We must crucify our flesh.

I know I do. I’ve yet to become a Hezekiah. But its spring now. It’s time to start the work. Take time to read God’s Word and study with this objective. To become more like Jesus every day. May God bless you in this journey.