Friday, May 31, 2013

Do You Need To 'Spring Clean' Your Heart?


1 Kings 15: 11-14 -  Asa did what was right in the sight of the Lord, as his father David had done.  He put away the male temple prostitutes out of the land, and removed all the idols that his ancestors had made.  He also removed his mother Maacah from being queen mother, because she had made an abominable image for Asherah; Asa cut down her image and burned it at the Wadi Kidron.  But the high places were not taken away. Nevertheless the heart of Asa was true to the Lord all his days.

 

Israel and Judah stayed separated for some time…and many kings took their turn on the two thrones to rule the people. In just this chapter…five different kings are described between the two nations.  Four of those kings were evil…continuing the pattern of the king before them…but Asa brought a breath of revival to Judah.

 

Asa cleaned house of all the evil influences in his land….he even demoted his own mother from being queen because she tried to dedicate a graven image to asherah. Every idol was destroyed…every male prostitute was driven out…because Asa knew that God would not be pleased with him if he left them in his life.

 

It’s amazing to me how Asa knew how to please God. No teacher…or praying mother…or friend is mentioned in this story that might have taught him...so he must have taught himself. He must have studied his ancestor David…and let God open up his heart to understand how all those idols had changed the people’s hearts.

 

Asa did not have the full word as we know it today.  He only had the words of Moses and Joshua...a few of David’s songs…..and a few of the prophets up to that time.  But it was enough….for him to realize the other kings beside David had done it wrong….and he needed to clean house…keeping his heart true to the Lord as long as he lived. Perhaps it was David’s Psalm 24:4…that began his journey with God…it says…. “The one who has clean hands and a pure heart, who does not trust in an idol or swear by a false god.”

 

I have no excuses….for I have the whole Bible…and a savior who loved me enough to die on a cross for my sins.  I have verses like Matthew 5:8 that say… “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God”   And I have the great words of Paul from Romans13:13-14….”Let us walk properly as in the daytime, not in orgies and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and sensuality, not in quarreling and jealousy. But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to gratify its desires.”

 

Father…thank you for recording the great courage and heart of Asa….and reminding me this morning that I need to stay pure in heart.  Help me clean house today in my heart.  Vacuum all the stuff right out of my heart that does not belong…that binds me to the world and its pleasures.  Dust the chambers that have collected dust and are not showing your love to others.  Wash the windows of each part of my heart so your light can shine through to others. Help me to ‘Spring Clean’ my heart…so it will be ready to do the work you have planned for it to do. Amen

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