HAROLD’S CLEANS ROOM

Let us rid ourselves of everything that gets in the way Hebrews 12:1b (TEV)

      Do you have a bedroom that gets messy, so messy you can’t see the floor? Harold’s bedroom was even messier, that was, until he decided to clean it.

      After cleaning his room, Harold almost got in trouble when his Dad walked by. Harold’s Dad’s name is Bill and he thought Harold was in his sister’s room because it was so clean. Harold had to remind his Dad that his sister’s carpet is red not brown. After hearing that Bill was so surprised that Harold cleaned his room that he had to sit down before he fainted. After a few minutes, Bill finally asked Harold what happened and was probably sorry he did.

      “Mom said I couldn’t eat till my room was clean, so I came in here and started to do some cleaning. Since I don’t like school very much, I threw away all my old school papers. They filled up two garbage bags. When I did that I found a bunch of missing baseball and football cards. With all my missing cards found I decided to put them away next. Did you know I have an entire 1992 collection of baseball cards? When I got them all neatly put into their boxes I went to slide them under the bed but the wouldn’t fit so I pulled all the junk out from under there. Remember that box of frogs I got last spring? Well, I found it under my bed along with lots of candy and food and junk. I filled up another garbage bag just from under the bed. Did you know I have five baseball gloves? All those times I lost my ball gloves they were in my room. I found over two hundred cars, trucks, planes, and motorcycle, several broken toys and models, sixteen balls, a half stuffed teddy bear six wads of gum and...” Harold would have kept on going but his Dad finally interrupted him. “I think I get the picture,” he said.

      I think Harold was sort of glad he had cleaned his room because he wasn’t going to have to trip over things any more and he was going to be able to find things when he needed them. Thinking about his clean room, Harold had to ask his Dad “How did it get to be so messy?”

      Bill than told Harold it got messy a little bit at a time by not taking care of things every day. “If we don’t clean our rooms up daily, the little messes we make soon become big messes.” Harold’s Dad went on, “Our live are just like this room. but it’s not school papers and toys that mess them up, but sin. We let all kinds of little sins like lies and cheating, or taking some little thing we shouldn’t, build up in our lives. They don’t seem like very much, but if we don’t keep them cleaned out of our lives, they build up until our lives are nothing but a big mess.

      As they were heading to eat, Stella walked in, saw Harold’s clean room and fainted.

      As for us, we have this large crowd of witnesses around us. So then, let us rid ourselves of everything that gets in the way, and of the sin which holds on to us so tightly, and let us run with determination the race that lies before us. Let us keep our eyes fixed on Jesus, on whom our faith depends from beginning to end. He did not give up because of the cross! On the contrary, because of the joy that was waiting for him, he thought nothing of the disgrace of dying on the cross, and he is now seated at the right side of God's throne. Think of what he went through; how he put up with so much hatred from sinners! So do not let yourselves become discouraged and give up. For in your struggle against sin you have not yet had to resist to the point of being killed.

Hebrews 12:1-4 (TEV)

      What is it the takes our lives and turns them in to disaster zones?

• The things that bring worldly pleasure
• The wrong input, be it form TV shows, Radio programs, Movies, Music, Printed material, Friends advice...
• Over Indulgence in things that should or shouldn't be.
• A desire to win no matter the cost.
• Slips of the tongue.
• Pride.
• Possessions.

      Some of these things may not seem like much but over time, little by little, if they are not kept cleaned out, they can turn our lives into disaster zones. Thankfully, God's Word offers us some advice to help us move towards cleanliness and yes, it will takes some effort on our part.

• Admit our mess to God
  • People who conceal their sins will not prosper, but if they confess and turn from them, they will receive mercy. - Proverbs 28:13 (NLT)
  • But if we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness. - 1 John 1:9 (NLT)
• Do some house cleaning
  • "Wash yourselves, make yourselves clean; Remove the evil of your deeds from My sight. Cease to do evil, - Isaiah 1:16 (NASB95)
  • So get rid of all the filth and evil in your lives, and humbly accept the word God has planted in your hearts, for it has the power to save your souls. - James 1:21 (NLT)
• Leave things alone
  • But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to gratify its desires. - Romans 13:14 (ESV)
  • Dear friends, I urge you as aliens and temporary residents to abstain from fleshly desires that war against you. 1 Peter 2:11 (HCSB)

      Here's Something to Ponder

• Is your life for clutter
• Do you take the time to clean it