{"id":23994,"date":"2018-10-19T03:30:00","date_gmt":"2018-10-19T10:30:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.lccredding.org\/church\/?p=23994"},"modified":"2018-10-16T16:55:24","modified_gmt":"2018-10-16T23:55:24","slug":"october-19-2018","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.lccredding.org\/church\/2018\/10\/19\/october-19-2018\/","title":{"rendered":"October 19, 2018"},"content":{"rendered":"
<\/div><\/div><\/div>

\u201cSearch me, O God, and know my heart; try me, and know my anxieties; and see if there is any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.\u201d\u00a0<\/em>Psalm 139:23-24<\/p>\n

To See or Not to See<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Housework! It never stays done, does it? It makes me think of what Jesus said about the poor in Matthew 26:11, \u201cFor you have the poor with you always . . .\u201d Housework, like the poor, will be with us always!<\/p>\n

We have off-white carpeting in our hallway and living room. These areas get the most use and traffic. As much as I like the light and brightness this carpet gives to our home, it so easily shows the dirt. No matter how much I clean it, before long it\u2019s dirty again.<\/p>\n

So, I was thinking . . . maybe we should replace it with a color that is still light, but would hide the dirt better. But then, I wondered . . . why would I want to hide\u00a0<\/u>the dirt? One answer is so I won\u2019t see it, and people (or myself) might think I am a better housekeeper than I really am. Or, maybe I just don\u2019t want to be bothered by cleaning it so often. But do I really want to\u00a0live<\/u>\u00a0in the dirt? Wouldn\u2019t it be better to see the dirt so I\u00a0could<\/u>\u00a0clean it?<\/p>\n

Likewise, when the light shines in from open window blinds, I see dust everywhere. Rather than dusting, I adjust the blinds so the light doesn\u2019t shine in\u2014and thus I don\u2019t have to deal with the dirt.<\/p>\n

Now, that being said, I am not a clean freak or a spotless housekeeper by any means! Like the saying goes, \u201cMy house is clean enough to be healthy, and dirty enough to be happy.\u201d<\/p>\n

Our spiritual house (His temple) is the one we should really be concerned about.\u201cOr do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own? For you were bought with a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God\u2019s\u201d(1 Corinthians 6:19, 20). He calls us to holiness (Ephesians 1:4) but how can we be holy if \u201cThe heart is deceitful about all things, and desperately wicked; who can know it\u201d (Jeremiah 17:9)? The answer is the cleansing power of the cross! Jesus has made a way for us to have a clean temple, and\u00a0like<\/u>\u00a0housework it needs to be done again and again because we live in a dirty, fallen world and continue to \u201cget dirty.\u201d<\/p>\n

So, to see or not to see, that is the question. Do we really want to live in the dirt (our sin)? Our hearts need continual inspection and cleaning. And the more \u201clight\u201d we allow, the better we can see the \u201cdirt.\u201d I may be able to hide my \u201cdirt\u201d from other people, but I can\u2019t hide\u00a0anything<\/u>\u00a0from God.<\/p>\n

As for me, I want to see, confess, and receive the Lord\u2019s forgiveness and cleansing (1 John 1:9). He\u2019s already finished the hard work by shedding His blood for the forgiveness of sin, and He\u2019s left us the easy part, confessing and repenting. Hallelujah!<\/p>\n

Jesus, You are the Light of the world. Shine Your Light into my heart and show me any areas of unconfessed sin, that I may be a clean vessel for Your use, pleasure, glory and honor! I am blessed and eternally grateful! Amen!<\/p>\n<\/div>

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