By
Andrea Merrell
Now sanctify
yourselves, sanctify the house
of the Lord God of your fathers,
and carry out the rubbish from
the holy place.
2 Chronicles 29:5 NKJV
It’s
that time of year again—time to forget the old and think about the new. Time to
set goals, make resolutions, or renew long, overdue commitments. Time to forget
about all the things we regret about last year or neglected to accomplish,
while making plans for the future.New Year. Fresh Start. Clean Slate.
In
all reality, most of the goals, resolutions, and commitments we come up with
seldom make it past a few days or weeks: lose weight, exercise, eat healthier, read
the Bible more, catch up with old friends …
The list goes on. We all have good intentions.
The list goes on. We all have good intentions.
If
we lived in Scotland, we would be cleaning out our house, emptying all the
ashes from the fireplace, and paying off all outstanding debts.
Now
that’s what I call a great way to enter a New Year.
But
maybe a better way to enter 2019 would be a heart-cleaning rather than a house-cleaning.
What a great time to get rid of all the wrong thoughts, negative attitudes, and
bad habits that set up residence in us in 2018. In 2 Chronicles, the Levites
were told to sanctify themselves and carry
out the rubbish from the holy place. We are that holy place—God’s temple where His Spirit resides.
Make
it a priority this week to spend some quality time in the Lord’s presence. Ask
Him to shine a light on those places that need to be cleaned out. Then be ready
to carry out the rubbish and enter this New Year with praise and
joyful expectation for all the Lord has in store for you.
Wishing
you a wonderful year filled with all the goodness and blessings of the Lord.
(Photos courtesy of FreeDigitalPhotos.net and Stuart Miles.)
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