The one who has clean hands and a pure heart, who does not trust

in an idol or swear by a false god. They will receive blessing

from the Lord and vindication from God their Savior.

Psalm 24:4 – 5 NIV

My sewing machine got sluggish. It would chew up the material when I started trying to sew or it would refuse to budge. I knew I would have to take it to the shop.

I just wanted to finish one last baby blanket before taking my machine in, but a piece of bobbin thread got stuck inside it. I decided to take the plate under the foot off to see if I could get it out myself.

Unbelievingly, I stared at what I found. Lint from the batting and fabric I had used for the last couple of years totally filled the cavity. How embarrassing would that have been for me if a tech in a shop had found it! Because of the debris in there, my machine could not function properly. It took me a good long while to clean it all out, but when I accomplished that, my sewing machine performed like new!

What happens to us when we allow the trash to build up in our lives equals that of my sewing machine. When we let unclean thoughts, negative behaviors, or secret sins to fill us up to capacity, we cannot perform properly either. My machine needed regular maintenance not a once in a couple of years clean out. Spiritually we need the same thing – time in the Word, time with the Father, and time listening to his voice telling us the Truth about what we should expel from our lives.

We cannot allow the embarrassment of discovering the garbage we have keep us from seeking cleanliness and purity. The work may take quite a while, but will render nothing but reward.       

Father, we do want your spiritual blessing. Realizing our righteousness comes from you, we confess we sometimes let the trash of worldliness build up and block out goodness and purity. Show us how to do whatever it takes to keep that from happening.

Susan Partida