Tuesday, Feb. 16: A sprinkle a day helps keep the odor away!

Saturday was cleaning day, which included a trip to the Laundromat and the assorted tasks at home of dusting, vacuuming, window cleaning and the dreaded cleaning of the bathroom. Based on other requirements of my time, the weekly tasks are sometimes put off for an additional week. When that happens, though, cleaning always takes twice as long. There just aren’t any shortcuts. It continues to amaze me how quickly dust returns and how dirty the clothes become by week’s end. Part of that has to do with my job of running around on a tennis court, but it doesn’t matter if the clothes are soiled by the coffee stains of a corporate executive or the perspiration of a tennis professional, they have to be cleaned again and again.


This world is a dirty place, isn’t it? You can come directly from a bath and find yourself covered in muck and mire in moments! When God created the world, it wasn’t designed that way. When Adam and Eve lived in the pre-sin Garden of Eden, I doubt that there was such thing as a dust mite. But when sin entered the picture, all of creation changed:


For we know that the whole creation groans and labors with birth pangs together until now. 23 Not only that, but we also who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, eagerly waiting for the adoption, the redemption of our body. Romans 8:22-23


Each of us yearns to be redeemed, and according to Romans, that included every aspect of creation. That also includes the dirt, the ocean, animals and yes, even dust mites! Jesus redeems us, as He bought us at a price. Salvation is a free gift, but let us never forget that the price was not a cheap one! He bought us with His life, with His blood.


In the same manner that our possessions need cleaning, we need spiritual cleansing even more often. That cleansing comes from God’s forgiveness of our sins. When Jesus comes to dwell in our hearts, He forgives us for all past, present and future sins. Yet we still have the responsibility of coming to Him and asking for that forgiveness.

9 If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 1 John 1:9


Next time you are busy house cleaning, don’t leave out the most important part of that regular cleansing. Ask the Lord for His forgiveness of your sins, and remember that only His blood can make us white as snow!