Recently we hired a new housekeeper. As she flitted around the house digging in to one task after another, it reminded me of a question that I am sometimes asked. Do we have to go to church? Having the housekeeper come not only got my house clean for that day, but it had a number of other benefits that reminded me of the importance of going to church each week. I realize that these two thoughts don't seem connected, but what I recently read in Hebrews 10:19-25 ties the two together.
After my housekeeper came the first time, I was amazed at how dirty my house was. I know that this seems backwards, but once she got rid of all the surface dirt, I kept finding dirt that I didn't know existed. The surface clutter was covering up the deeper dirt. Verse 22 of Hebrews 10 says, "let us draw near with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water." When we are baptized, our sins are forgiven, but often when this happens, it makes us aware of just how sinful we are. When we are aware of our sin, we are more likely to attempt to get rid of it. It is like my housekeeper coming the first time. She got rid of the surface clutter. Once this happened, I was aware of the hidden dirt and more able to deal with it. Now when she comes each week, it keeps the clutter away and makes it easier for me to get rid of the dirt as it appears instead of it remaining hidden. I Corinthians 11:28 says that when we eat the Lord's supper we should examine ourselves. Without coming together each week to do this, sometimes our lives and hearts get so cluttered that we never take the time to get to the deeper heart issues. Meeting together each week helps us to do this.
The Hebrews writer continues on by saying to "let us consider how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds, not forsaking our own assembling together." The work that the housekeeper did that morning encouraged me to want to do better the following week regarding keeping my house better. After the housekeeper left, I was able to keep my laundry washed, my floors swept and spot cleaned each night, and I even did some deeper kitchen tasks. Her coming spurred me on to good deeds throughout the week. When we come together on Sundays and for some also on Wednesdays, it helps motivate us to do the good throughout the week that He wants us to do.
I am thankful that I live in a place where I am able to have a housekeeper come each week to remove the clutter from my house and spur me on to do better in my house throughout the week. I am even more thankful to God for giving us a Christian family to meet with each week to do some of the same things in our lives. Please share below some of the benefits that you receive throughout the week from meeting together with like minded people.
Jane
Scripture taken from the NEW AMERICAN STANDARD BIBLE(R), Copyright(c) 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission.
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