He’s going to clean house-make a clean sweep of your lives. He’ll place everything true in its proper place before God; everything false he’ll put out with the trash to be burned.” (Matthew 3:12 MSG)
I think too much of myself to allow God to make a clean sweep of my life. There are areas of my life I keep for myself, not allowing him to do his work in me. I miserly hoard my time for myself and give of my resources more as it suits me than meets his needs placed before me. I think that I and those around me deserve special treatment–health and material blessings–just because we ask, when the fact is God loves all his children the same. And that includes the sick homeless man who could really use a break in life more than I ever have.
If I want to let God place everything in its proper place before him, I could start by giving up maybe a whole hour each day just to let him do what he wants with it. Or maybe I could tithe a day each week to give to him for his purposes. Of course the point is he should have my whole week. Christ isn’t asking me to give up my job, but he is asking me to give up myself. And I need to start giving up what I cherish most: my time.
When God throws out the trash each week, how much of that includes the way I spend my time? Has my life counted for even 10 minutes this week? What part of what I do in loving God and loving others is in its proper place and perspective? I fear I spend too much time commending myself and comparing myself to a hapless world than to ask what God wants me to do for five minutes.
So, this week, even today, is an opportunity to redeem the time as God sees fit. If God is going to start cleaning house, what one thing is God asking me to start with today?
Deep Questions 