HowClean Is my House?

“So clean house!  Make a clean sweep of malice and pretense, envy and hurtful talk.  You’ve had a taste of God.  Now, like infants at the breast, drink deep of God’s pure kindness.   Then you’ll grow up pure and whole in God.”  (I Peter 2:1-3  MSG)

   Peter has given us a goal—“grow up pure and whole in God.”  And he tells us how to do it—“clean house!”  There are parts of our daily lives as immature Christians--malice, pretense, envy and hurtful words--that need to disappear from our conversation and our thoughts.  If we can keep them out of our thoughts, they will, most likely, not appear in our conversation.  We’ve had a taste of God and understand that these are attitudes that we should not have in our hearts.  When we “drink deep of God’s pure kindness,” we see God’s kindness to us.  He doesn’t speak poorly of us, instead He speaks of us as His beloved children.

   The Amplified Bible translation of Ephesians 5:1,2 says, “Therefore become imitators of God [copy Him and follow His example], as well-beloved children [imitate their fathers]; and walk continually in love [that is, value one another—practice empathy and compassion, unselfishly seeking the best for others], just as Christ also loved you and gave Himself up for us, an offering and sacrifice to God [slain for you, so that it became] a sweet fragrance.” This Scripture tells us how He feels about us and also tells us what He expects of us.  He expects us to follow His lead and show empathy and compassion for others.  If and when we do that we have made a “clean sweep of malice and pretense, envy and hurtful talk,” and we are growing up in God.

   When we listen to the conversation around us in the day-to-day world we hear constant criticism of and malice toward those with whom we disagree.  Hurtful talk has become the language of the land.  If it is ever to stop, we have to stop it in ourselves first.  It is so commonplace today that we are sucked right into using hurtful talk in our normal conversation.  I can disagree with someone without using cutting comments.   A cut is a wound that usually bleeds.   Do I want my speech to be the kind that causes someone to bleed?  That’s stating it crudely, but it does make a point.  I don’t ever want to do that, so, Lord, please help me to be careful of my language, and help me to walk in love even for those with whom I disagree