The Never Ending Gifts

I think my house is pretty clean—until I invite company over. Then I look around with fresh eyes and see the odds and ends sitting in corners and in piles on tables. They are there for a reason: either they need to be cleaned before I put them away, or I haven’t figured out where to put them.

But when company is coming, it’s time to quit procrastinating and deal with the mess. I dig in and do the work, and then feel so much better.

This is how my Connection Challenge exercise felt today. It wasn’t until I gave an open invitation to Jesus to search my heart that I noticed the stuff that shouldn’t be there.

“Jesus, please forgive me for this.”

I knew the Bible says, if we confess our sins to God, he will forgive us and wipe the slate clean (1 John 1:9). Done.

“Oh yeah, Jesus, I still need to mop up my mess there, too. I guess now is a good time?”

I made a phone call and gave a long-overdue apology. With God’s help, it not only went well, I was blessed by the conversation.

“But God, about that other thing, I don’t know how to deal with it, or how to change.”

I got out my Bible and looked again at the verses for today, Psalm 139:23-24. I remembered the first part about God searching my heart, but I hadn’t noticed the ending. God doesn’t just help us see the things we’re doing wrong. Verse 24 says he also helps us do things the right way—his way.

“Dear Lord, please help me clean up this area of my life. Teach and help me do things your way instead.”

This afternoon, I feel lighter than I did this morning. It feels good to have a clean house, and even better to have a clean heart. And now my connection with Jesus feels stronger than ever.

Below is tomorrow’s “Connection Challenge” exercise:

Premise: To receive God’s power and peace in my life, I need to be connected to Jesus (John 15:4-5).

Guidelines: For 21 days, my only goal will be to connect with Jesus throughout each day. I can also do any other activity if I can do it with Jesus.

Connection Aid: Day 12, Friday January 17: Listen to Christian Music

Psalm 69:30 says to sing praises to God. Sometimes I get a song stuck in my head, especially after leaving a store that played a familiar song. To help me connect with Jesus today, I will make a point to keep a Christian song playing in my head, and  listen to Christian radio or CDs whenever possible.