“When I discovered your words, I devoured them. They are my joy and my heart’s delight, for I bear your name, O Lord God of Heaven’s Armies.” (Jeremiah 15:16 NLT)
Last summer, a worker at the AT&T office in San Jose, California decided it was time to clean out an old refrigerator that was in a break room. It was stuffed with lunches, snacks, fruit, drinks, and leftovers that had been there so long nobody could remember what belonged to whom. People had avoided opening the door to this refrigerator due to the smell. But nobody was willing to take the lead to clean it out. Finally this one woman could not stand it anymore.
People were warned. The break room was scheduled to close for the time it would take to clean this refrigerator. Finally, she opened the refrigerator door. This woman couldn't smell the stench due to allergies, but the smell from the rotten food was so toxic that it spread quickly and caused someone to call 911. Ambulances came and firefighters evacuated the building. Seven coworkers were taken to the hospital, and it took a hazmat team to clear out the mess.
One might say, “Pastor John, That’s gross!” I agree. It is gross. It’s nasty. It’s not pleasant to think about. But think about our relationship with God. We try to keep secrets from God thinking that we can get away with something. We keep things locked away in our hearts and minds until they spoil. Nobody is willing to come near us. But it is only Jesus who can open the door to our heart and let out the smell of the sin that is inside that has spoiled and become useless.
Our lives, like refrigerators, can suffer spoilage if we don't keep them cleared out and cleaned up.
Things can go bad quickly when lukewarm. “But since you are like lukewarm water, neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth!” (Revelation 3:16 NLT)
Make sure the sincere milk of the Word is on a shelf we can reach every day, along with solid food for the soul. “Like newborn babies, you must crave pure spiritual milk so that you will grow into a full experience of salvation. Cry out for this nourishment.” (1 Peter 2:2 NLT) “You have been believers so long now that you ought to be teaching others. Instead, you need someone to teach you again the basic things about God’s word. You are like babies who need milk and cannot eat solid food.” (Hebrews 5:12 NLT)
Treasure the words of His mouth more than our daily bread, and make sure the manna of daily Bible study doesn't become stale and wormy. “I have not departed from his commands, but have treasured his words more than daily food.” (Job 23:12 NLT)
Keep the oil of joy fresh. “You love justice and hate evil. Therefore God, your God, has anointed you, pouring out the oil of joy on you more than on anyone else.” (Psalm 45:7 NLT)
We need to look inside our hearts and our lives to throw out anything that doesn't contribute to our overall spiritual well-being. We need to become aware of anything that is going stale or is already rotten. We need to stay plugged into the current of heaven through prayer, and then we will become a source of nourishment to others.
Hello Again!!
7 years ago
