Temple Baptist Life

If you have been by my study recently, you know I have been spring cleaning. I have been getting rid of the dust and dirt. I have also been reducing the number of books in my study. Over past 40 years I have collected may books. I have given some to individuals and various ministries. I am also working through over 40 years of sermons on paper. There is just something satisfying about being clean. There are the feelings of peace and accomplishment that soothes our minds.

As I have been working on this task I have been thinking about a Spiritual Spring Cleaning. A spiritual spring cleaning gives us the feeling of a new start. We feel well armed to handle anything that may come our way. We know where all of our tools are and we can readily lay our hands on them to do battle or to fix any problem. Cleaning can bring a real attitude improvement. When that happens the impact can be felt in every area of our lives. Things are in order and no opportunity will be shoved aside.

A bald man took a seat in a beauty shop. “How can I help you?” asked the stylist. “I went for a hair transplant,” the guy explained, “but I couldn’t stand the pain. If you can make my hair look like yours without causing me any discomfort, I’ll pay you $5000. “No problem,” said the stylist, and she quickly shaved her head.

Chuck Swindoll says this a bout attitude, “The longer I live, the more I realize the impact of attitude on life. It is more important than the past, than education, than money, than circumstances, than failures, than successes, than what other people think or say or do. It is more important than appearance, giftedness or skill. It will make or break a company … a church … a home. The remarkable thing is we have a choice every day regarding the attitude we will embrace for that day. We cannot change our past … we cannot change the fact that people will act in a certain way. We cannot change the inevitable. The only thing we can do is play on the one string we have, and that is our attitude … I am convinced that life is 10% what happens to me and 90% how I react to it. And so it is with you … we are in charge of our Attitude.”

It is amazing also to find something that you had thought was lost or that had slipped from our memories. That which is old becomes new again. The feeling of missing something is replaced by the feeling of now being complete. When that which was lost and is found there is joy and celebration. Whether it is a sheep, a coin, a prodigal son or a book, it is good to have things to be clean and in their place.

Spiritual spring cleaning gives us a new mind set. Jesus gives us a wonderful mind set. Let this be your invitation to be like Christ in your Mind? Mind does matter. How is your mind? Is it like Christ? Is your mind joined together with other believers? Let us manage our mind by giving ourselves to Christ and to others.

Romans 8:5 Those who live according to the sinful nature have their minds set on what that nature desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires.

Let this be your invitation to be like Christ in your Mind. Mind does matter. How is your mind? Is it like Christ? Is your mind joined together with other believers? Let us manage our mind by giving ourselves to Christ and to others.

Let the mind of the Master be the master of your mind.

Both the hummingbird and the vulture fly over our nation’s deserts. All vultures see is rotting meat, because that is what they look for. They thrive on that diet. But hummingbirds ignore the smelly flesh of dead animals. Instead, they look for the colorful blossoms of desert plants. The vultures live on what was. They live on the past. They fill themselves with what is dead and gone. But hummingbirds live on what is. They seek new life. They fill themselves with freshness and life. Each bird finds what it is looking for. We all do.

Our minds need to be clean, guarded, and fresh. The mind directs our thoughts and how we act and react to life as it comes our way. The clutter is gone and now there is freshness. What a wonderful feeling. Each day Jesus wants to clean us from the clutter of life and give us a fresh, clean start. No longer do we have to carry the baggage of yesterday. We have a newness to build on and to supply growth. All things have become new. I want that fresh new feeling everyday this year.

I want to keep my mind focused on things that are above and not allow the things of this earth to clutter my mind again. Put down the things that clutter and allow the clean, fresh things of Jesus fill our thoughts.

There is a story of two Buddhist monks walking in a drenching thunderstorm. They came to a stream, and it was swollen out of its banks. A beautiful young Japanese woman in a kimono stood there wanting to get to the other side but was afraid of the currents. In characteristic Buddhist compassion, one of the monks said, “Can I help you?” The woman said, “I need to cross this stream.” The monk picked her up, put her on his shoulder, carried her through the water, and put her down on the other side. He and his companion went on to the monastery. That night his companion said to him, “I have a bone to pick with you. As Buddhist monks, we have taken vows not to look on a woman, much less touch her body. Back there by the river you did both.” The first monk said, “My brother, I put that woman down on the other side of the river. You’re still carrying her in your mind.”

Oh yes, spring cleaning is good. I challenge you to clean the clutter and allow Jesus to keep your mind clean.