Corona Devo 319

Have you cleaned anything out lately?  A closet, a cupboard...your pantry?


Our pantry shelves had been getting crowded and the floor was no longer visible.  I knew there were potatoes somewhere in there, not because I could see them but because I could smell them.  What started off as a hunt for a bag of Russets grew into a full-blown pantry clean-out...and it was time.

 

Who knew I had 5 boxes of brownie mix?  (Don´t you?)


And were the cans of baked beans reproducing under the cover of darkness?  How did we get so many?

What an adventure (and chore) I had going through the cans, boxes, shelves and stacks.  There were stale crackers and rubbery chips.  Onions sprouting wings and cereal that had lost it's luster.  It was time for a clean out.

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come:  The old has gone, the new is here!   Corinthians 5:17

Our pantry isn't the only place in need of a clean out.  God knows that we have some rotten feelings festering in our hearts and some stale grudges that need to be thrown out.  Even if we have known the Lord a long time, we all have areas that need refreshed.  And we are reminded today that because we are in Christ we can toss the spoiled/out-of-date/unhealthy stuff in our hearts and minds.  Why?  Because Jesus cleans us out.  The new creation has come:  The old has gone, the new is here!   Corinthians 5:17

If our lives have become so crowded with activities, work, pleasures, and anything that is detracting from You, Lord, then clear our shelves.  One by one we can add things to our calendars and plates until one day we have lost our focus and energy.  Lord, slow us down and turn our hearts back to the most important staple in our lives: You.  Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come:  The old has gone, the new is here!   Corinthians 5:17


Some of us may have to admit that we have one or two ¨potatoes¨ rotting in the pantry of our hearts.  Grudges or hurts that have slowly morphed into bitterness and now we don't even want to touch them because they´ve festered into something yucky.  But Jesus works with us to clean out our icky stuff.  Ignoring issues will never bring closure or wholeness, but working through them is cleansing and healthy for us and others. God makes us new, and can make our situations new.   Father, if we have unresolved feelings or situations, please help us to face them today, no matter how long we have left them to sit. Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come:  The old has gone, the new is here!   Corinthians 5:17

Like cloning boxes of brownie mix or cans of baked beans, sometimes our pride puffs up and multiplies until we think we are the best thing since sliced bread.  Our ideas, opinions and ways-of-life are not validated simply because we immerse ourselves in ourselves.  God's way is narrow and His is the path is the one we are to follow.  Heavenly Father, if we are finding comfort in our own pride, reduce us today and magnify Yourself before us.  Expand our desire for You.  Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come:  The old has gone, the new is here!   Corinthians 5:17  

If our stances have become rubbery because we don't listen to or entertain ideas that disagree with or are unlike ours, then it is time to refresh.  A Christ follower must be fresh with Christ's perspective, not their own.  We cannot influence others with God's love and hope if we are allowing the world to bounce off of us.   Lord, today we want to be fresh for You and in You.  Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come:  The old has gone, the new is here!   Corinthians 5:17

It never feels like a good time to get into the chore of cleaning out the pantry.  But it was time.  

God feels the same way about us.  

We have left some things opened in our lives that just need to be tossed because they are past their prime.  Memories or past hurts that provide no nutritional value--ask Jesus to help you toss them and move on.

If our thoughts or feelings have grown stale, rubbery or even moldy--Jesus is ready to help us with a clean out today.  It's time.  Those attitudes don't help us in any way, and instead they can seep in and affect other things.  And if our pride or selfishness has multiplied, God calls us to get-back-to the basics of Him today.  

We are a new creation in Christ.  It will be an adventure and also a chore, but today let's clean out the old, because the new is here!   

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come:  The old has gone, the new is here!   Corinthians 5:17

Blessings,

sarah

https://sarahsundy04.blogspot.com/

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