Spiritual Housekeeping

One of the tasks that a Pastor must from time to time tackle is that of cleaning his study. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not talking about the normal cleaning that our custodian does – she does a wonderful job – in spite of the clutter that continually piles up in my office.

The first hurdle in the cleaning process is taking the time away from the “important things” of pastoral ministry like praying and studying. A task easier said than done. It’s difficult to measure the effectiveness of cleaning the study. Nevertheless it is a duty that must be attended to.

As I attack the mountains of papers that have gradually built up in the study I reflect upon how sin can, in those small, almost invisible steps, build up in our lives. How tremendously important is it to be found often before the Lord in fervent confession and repentance.

The process of cleaning nearly always demands filing of papers. Some end up in the filing receptacle beside my desk – otherwise known as the trash can. Others end up in the file cabinet to be used later. As I begin that process I find it interesting to find things that I had previously tucked away. Obviously they once held my interest and had some potential. Now, as time has passed they are of no value. Other things are discovered that are transferred to a permanent home in the file cabinet.

When we consider that cleaning process, whether it be my study or your work shop several lessons leap to the forefront. One is the simple fact that if we do not file things away we will never be able to make use of them in the future. We may not toss them out. Our pile of papers may look neat but nevertheless we cannot retrieve what we want and need. The same is true of our exposure to the Word of God. If we do not store it away we cannot recall it when necessary. Psalm 119:11 comes to mind. The second, and somewhat related observation from the paper jungle is that we need to evaluate carefully and often. There is so much that presses in an threatens to take a place alongside the important and imperative.

One final lesson from the cleaning session. They told me when I worked as a janitor that folks never noticed till you didn’t do your job. Wow is that true when it comes to spiritual housekeeping! There will be no applause when the job is faithfully well done. There will be an obvious mess when we fail to carry out our responsibilities as children of the Lord.

Borrowed Insights

This morning I was working in preparation for our Bible Institute class on the Epistle to the Romans. This week we will be considering much of chapter eight. What a glorious chapter beginning with the great truth of "No Condemnation' and ending with the confidence of "No Separation." The two truths sit like bookends on either side of the chapter.

In the course of study I ran across the following in a series of message by Dr. S. Lewis Johnson entitled "The Doctrine of Eternal Life."

Paul’s five questions are not arbitrary. They are all about the kind of God we believe in. Together they affirm that absolutely nothing can frustrate God’s purpose (since He is for us), or quench His generosity (since He has not spared His Son), or accuse or condemn His elect (since He has justified them through Christ), or separate us from His love (since He has revealed it in Christ).

"Here then are five convictions about God’s providence (v. 28), five affirmations about His purpose (vv. 29-30), and five questions about His love (vv. 31-39), which together bring us 15 assurances about Him. We urgently need them today, since nothing seems stable in our world any longer. Insecurity is written across all human experience. Christian people are not guaranteed immunity to temptation, tribulation, or tragedy, but we are promised victory over them. God’s pledge it not that suffering will never afflict us, but that it will never separate us from His love.

Our confidence is not in our love for Him which is frail, fickle and faltering, but in His love for us, which is steadfast, faithful and persevering. The doctrine of the perseverance of the saints needs to be re-named. It is the doctrine of the perseverance of God with the saints."

We see then that the safe keeping of the child of God is a matter of God's character not that of the believer. I recall hearing it but this way "We persevere because He preserves us." Truly our security is all about God.

Let me no more my comfort draw
From my frail hold of thee;
In this alone rejoice with awe
Thy mighty grasp of me.