|
Lumpy
Rug
Picture by the
late Ona Blaine Adams, my sister-in-law
Thanks to my
niece, Linda Carol, for permission to use this!
Most of our resolutions made
at the beginning of the year have probably gone by the wayside and
forgotten (or abandoned) by now. Snow melts (if you live in the
snow belt!) and time moves on; other things occupy our minds. Such
things as it being time to clean up the winter’s debris and make
ready for approaching Spring. Repairs to be made, changes to fit
the new season that will soon be upon us.
In the same way, relationships
require diligence to gain and maintain; personal improvement
programs have to be consistent to be effective. It is difficult to
release bad habits to the past and reach forward for a clean start,
but a new season is a good time to adjust our system. It’s a good
time to release slights and hurts that we have been holding and
nurturing, infecting us with grudges as poisonous as salmonella.
When God redeemed us from our
past sins, He didn’t put them in His storehouse to review from time
to time. In fact, He cast them away not to be remembered against us
again. Can you imagine what a gigantic storehouse God would need if
He were to keep all our sins! He might have to create another
planet to hold them! No, no! He did not retain them; they were
dissolved in the blood of Jesus Christ as He hung on the cross dying
for them. Since He forgave us without conditions, He expects the
same thing of us in our inter-personal relationships.
We need to look under the rug
in the hidden places of our hearts, pull out all the stored hurts,
disappointments, grudges, etc. that we have stashed to be wallowed
in occasionally. It’s time to take the rugs up, remove the lumps,
stretch the rugs across a Holy Spirit line and beat all the residue
of painful memories out of them. The lumps under them are not
really hidden; they come out in our attitudes, our conversations and
actions. The critical results of the lumps in our rugs are not only
visible hindrances to us, they can cause others who must walk on our
lumpy rug to stumble as well.
“And make straight paths for
your feet, lest that which is lame be turned out of the way…”
(Hebrews 12:13).
Maybe we could just have a
funeral and burial of “every weight, and the sin which doth so
easily beset us” (Hebrews 12:1). Perhaps cremation with fire of the
Holy Spirit would be the best method, then we could never put the
pieces back together from the ashes. This verse in Hebrews relates
the action to running a race. We can never run successfully to win
running over the lumpy rug which not only hinders us but causes
other runners to stumble also.
We are the temple of God and are
designed in such a way that others walk on our rug. If we allow a
lump in the rug of our temple that causes others who walk on it to
stumble—we are responsible!
“What? know ye not that your body is
the temple of the Holy Ghost, which is in you, which ye have of God,
and ye are not your own” (1 Corinthians 6:19).
It may be a little early to do
spring cleaning of our house, but it is never too soon to clean up
our lives under the conviction of the Holy Spirit. We can resist
His wooing and slide another piece of our lives over the top of the
lump as if it were a unit of furniture in our house hoping to hide
it, but until it is dealt with the lump will only increase in size
and pollute and eventually ruin the rug spreading the deadly
results.
Ready? Up comes the rug,
remove and burn the lump in the Holy Spirit bonfire, beat the rug
until it is free of any residue and restore it to its rightful
place. The essence of God’s presence will purify it, so that its
aroma will sweeten the area and it will be safe and pleasant for all
who walk upon it. It is a new rug made pure by the precious blood
of Jesus and infiltrated by the Spirit of God.
“And he that sat upon the
throne said, Behold I make all things new. And he said unto me,
Write: for these words are true and faithful” (Revelation 21:5).
There. Doesn’t that look,
feel and smell good! No more lumpy rug! Fellow runners can safely
run with patience the race that is set before them. We’ve
eliminated the hindrances. As the starting gun fires, we put our
best gospel running shoe forward and rush toward the finish line.
“Someone” is waiting there with our reward; and everyone who
reaches the finish line wins! Running an unhindered race: What a
great way to begin any new season!
Have a blessed and fruitful
“new” rest-of-the-year!
~~Delores~~
I originally wrote this for Rev. James Lewis'
"Word of Faith" website. Since that website has been closed, I
have added it here. Hope you enjoy it.
My other inspirational website
Heart 2
Heart
@
There's Good News February 2015 |