Yesterday, after a hard day of work, my husband came home and sanitized the big garbage can and recycle bin that is kept in our garage until garbage day. I had been complaining about the smell since we moved in. It smelled like the last owners put stuff in there without using garbage bags. The smell has been magnified through my pregnant nose and makes me gag. The summer heat has made the smell worse and last week we had a legion of flies in our garage. I didn’t want to open the door from the house to the garage because I didn’t want flies to get into the house. We started going out the front door. So my husband took them outside, hosed them down, scrubbed, bleached, and fabreezed them!
I’m not silly. I understand the garbage stays in there for a week and won’t always smell good, but every once in a while, we must examine and evaluate the container that holds our trash until it is time to transfer it to the next source……
This made me think about marriage, outward appearances, burdens, and deliverance.
Matthew 23:25-26
25 “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you cleanse the outside of the cup and dish, but inside they are full of extortion and self-indulgence.[a] 26 Blind Pharisee, first cleanse the inside of the cup and dish, that the outside of them may be clean also.
There are so many marriages in a hypocritical state. I’ve seen many marriages, even in the church, suffer from unresolved conflict and uncleanliness/self-indulgence leading to divorce. I am always shocked. Most of the time there is no outward appearance of conflict. They seem happy and full of love, then one day a swarm of flies are hovering all over them. The outside of their cup/garbage can/marriage (that everyone sees) was clean, but they didn’t take time to clean the inside (they part that can impact their lives).
When we have issues, it is important to resolve them as quickly as possible. The longer we stew over them (keep them as burdens), the stronger the stink will become. If we completely ignore them, eventually the flies will be attracted to the garbage causing added distraction, irritation, and nuisance. We must daily evaluate ourselves against the Word of God. We must address our spouse about any issues in them that are causing conflict in our homes, and then ultimately clean ourselves from the trash, place it to the curb (the feet of Jesus) and let it be taken away by Him (deliverance). It is not enough to give him our garbage. We must let Him clean us from the inside out or eventually a residue will build up and cause unsuspecting issues. The Bible says that we are washed by the water of His Word and the blood of Jesus. Staying in God’s Word along with staying in tune with the Holy Spirit will help us stay clean.
The flies of nuisance (friends, family, coworkers, etc.) only come and cause more problems if you open up the garbage can for them to smell the stink. Wise counsel in tough situations is good, but we shouldn’t be sharing all of the personal irritations of our spouse with everybody. We must take them to Jesus first and try to resolve them with our spouse! If that doesn’t work, then seek counsel from a trusted person that will give us sound biblical advice. Don’t complain to everybody, that will only lead to destruction and feed our issues with bitterness.
Where have you been keeping your trash? Have you been consistently placing it on the curb? Have you cleansed the container it was in? Take time to evaluate these things and pray for your marriage. God wants to clean it from the inside out.
Father, we thank You for Your Word that washes us. Thank You for the blood of Jesus and Your love that covers a multitude of sin. Forgive us for being hypocrites and keeping a good appearance without maintaining and cleansing the inside. We want our marriage to be a covenant free from burdens, annoyances, and unresolved conflict. Show us how to handle all situations according to your Word. Let the Holy Spirit lead us into truth. Show us ourselves and convict us of areas that need to be dealt with. We want our marriage to release the fragrance of Your beauty, not one that will attract a legion of flies. Help us be examples to the world of how Your covenant brings glory and abundance. We bless You. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen!
I’m not silly. I understand the garbage stays in there for a week and won’t always smell good, but every once in a while, we must examine and evaluate the container that holds our trash until it is time to transfer it to the next source……
This made me think about marriage, outward appearances, burdens, and deliverance.
Matthew 23:25-26
25 “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you cleanse the outside of the cup and dish, but inside they are full of extortion and self-indulgence.[a] 26 Blind Pharisee, first cleanse the inside of the cup and dish, that the outside of them may be clean also.
There are so many marriages in a hypocritical state. I’ve seen many marriages, even in the church, suffer from unresolved conflict and uncleanliness/self-indulgence leading to divorce. I am always shocked. Most of the time there is no outward appearance of conflict. They seem happy and full of love, then one day a swarm of flies are hovering all over them. The outside of their cup/garbage can/marriage (that everyone sees) was clean, but they didn’t take time to clean the inside (they part that can impact their lives).
When we have issues, it is important to resolve them as quickly as possible. The longer we stew over them (keep them as burdens), the stronger the stink will become. If we completely ignore them, eventually the flies will be attracted to the garbage causing added distraction, irritation, and nuisance. We must daily evaluate ourselves against the Word of God. We must address our spouse about any issues in them that are causing conflict in our homes, and then ultimately clean ourselves from the trash, place it to the curb (the feet of Jesus) and let it be taken away by Him (deliverance). It is not enough to give him our garbage. We must let Him clean us from the inside out or eventually a residue will build up and cause unsuspecting issues. The Bible says that we are washed by the water of His Word and the blood of Jesus. Staying in God’s Word along with staying in tune with the Holy Spirit will help us stay clean.
The flies of nuisance (friends, family, coworkers, etc.) only come and cause more problems if you open up the garbage can for them to smell the stink. Wise counsel in tough situations is good, but we shouldn’t be sharing all of the personal irritations of our spouse with everybody. We must take them to Jesus first and try to resolve them with our spouse! If that doesn’t work, then seek counsel from a trusted person that will give us sound biblical advice. Don’t complain to everybody, that will only lead to destruction and feed our issues with bitterness.
Where have you been keeping your trash? Have you been consistently placing it on the curb? Have you cleansed the container it was in? Take time to evaluate these things and pray for your marriage. God wants to clean it from the inside out.
Father, we thank You for Your Word that washes us. Thank You for the blood of Jesus and Your love that covers a multitude of sin. Forgive us for being hypocrites and keeping a good appearance without maintaining and cleansing the inside. We want our marriage to be a covenant free from burdens, annoyances, and unresolved conflict. Show us how to handle all situations according to your Word. Let the Holy Spirit lead us into truth. Show us ourselves and convict us of areas that need to be dealt with. We want our marriage to release the fragrance of Your beauty, not one that will attract a legion of flies. Help us be examples to the world of how Your covenant brings glory and abundance. We bless You. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen!
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