Dust and Debris

Source: J. John

Last week I was having problems with my computer mouse - it wouldn't follow
my instructions. I called Chris, our Office Manager. Chris first suggested
that he have a look and see if it needs a clean. Sure enough, when Chris
opened the mouse he found it was infected with dust and debris. After a
clean, my mouse began working wonderfully well and it's doing what I expect
it to do.

I was thinking how much dust and debris we accumulate in our lives without
knowing it's there and then finding that we are not functioning as well as
we should. Even if we've been given a new heart by connecting with Jesus, we
might have blocked arteries. The dust and debris blocking our arteries could
result from hurts, habits, hang-ups or just plain sin.

In Jewish society in order to prepare for the Passover the whole family
spends a week scouring the house for every crumb of yeast they can find.
They do that because God commanded, "For seven days no yeast is to be found
in your houses" (Exodus 12:19). They weren't just getting rid of the yeast
that happened to be lying around in the kitchen. They had to look in every
nook and cranny - every hidden corner of their home - to find the leaven and
remove it.

Instead of just cleaning our computer mouses, let's take the advice in
Ephesians 4:31-32: "Get rid of all bitterness, rage, anger, harsh words, and
slander, as well as all types of evil behaviour. Instead, be kind to each
other, tender-hearted, forgiving one another, just as God through Christ has
forgiven you" (Ephesians 4:31-32). Sadly, bitter people never seem to
contain their bitterness as they want to spread it. I came across the story
of a customer who for some reason had become infuriated with his bank. He
plotted a 'stinking' scheme to vent his anger. So he rented one of the bank's
safety deposit boxes under an assumed name and carefully filled it with
something. Within days a foul smell was being permeated throughout the bank
and all the staff were frantic to find the cause. Finally, after several
days, the stink was tracked down. Inside the recently rented safety deposit
box were the remains of three large fish!

Bitterness can seep out and contaminate a pure atmosphere in the same way as
the stinking smell of those fish. It can affect anything from a marriage, a
family home to a church. If we feel bitter about something it's likely we
feel wronged in some way, and that's when we're in danger of doing all the
things that the Apostle Paul advises us against in that Ephesians passage -
venting our anger, uttering harsh words and maybe even inadvertently
slandering other people.

We need to remember Jesus' words, recorded in Matthew 5:43-44: "You have
heard the law that says, 'Love your neighbour' and hate your enemy. But I
say, love your enemies! Pray for those who persecute you!"

If this seems difficult to do, maybe we should remember the reminder in
Psalm 51:10 that we can pray for our lives to be cleaned: "Create in me a
clean heart, O God. Renew a loyal spirit within me."

Let us pray to be cleansed from dirt and debris and filled with the Holy
Spirit so that we may spontaneously rise above any bitterness and do the
will of God.

Agapé

J.Joh

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