Litter Patrol By AFC Devotional

"Abstain from all appearance of evil." - 1 Thessalonians 5:22

The ground was flooding from too much rain, and gallons of surplus water sprayed up with each car that traveled down the freeway. Despite the deluge, litter patrols were out in their yellow rain jackets and were going up and down the interstate with their “litter getters” and big garbage bags. Their goal was to keep the city highways clean, no matter what the weather was like, and they were doing a good job.

Observing these hard workers as I drove through the pelting rain, I considered my own spiritual “litter patrol.” Just as this force of dedicated workers faithfully keep the roadways clean, I knew that I also needed to pick up and pack out things that might cause spiritual clutter and decay to my soul.

Looking into my spiritual house, I grabbed a mental garbage bag and considered the past few months. There by the bookcase I saw a box of “self-satisfaction” I needed to get rid of. As I moved on, I observed a can of “self-importance” leaking onto the carpet. I felt a tug at my heart as I hurriedly tossed in a wrapper of “retaliation” that was lying on the sofa. How had it gotten there, I wondered? As I came to the kitchen sink, I noticed a few containers of “boasting” piling up, and I quickly prayed to the Lord to help me as I dropped them into the trash also. This useless litter that was creeping into my life, was starting to take away from the beauty God had given me when I gave Him my life.

Eventually, if we do not check for litter and get rid of it, numerous wrong attitudes can clutter our lives and take over our hearts leaving no place for the Lord to live. These will take away from the love, joy, and peace God gives. Some cleaning may not be an easy task, just as picking up litter was not much fun in the pounding rain. However, it is essential for our spiritual well being.
Let us faithfully devote a few minutes each day to check and remove any appearance of evil or litter that may be accumulating inside. We want our hearts to be clean and uncluttered so the Lord will always be able to dwell in our house without reservation.

credits: Ajayi 'Tope Carter