Clean As You Go
Originally scheduled for November 21
Military veterans will recall the constant instruction: "clean as
you go." It is always tempting to put off cleaning chores until
tomorrow, or later, but drill instructors and mess sergeants know
the cleaning must be done as you go. Doing it later just does not
produce the same results. In the meanwhile, the mess hall will not
pass inspection.
The method works as well in spiritual things. Most of us like to
let sleeping dogs lie, and not face the sin in our life. Taking care
of these problems as they arise is a much better method. For
example:
- This method prevents the small things from growing large
silently. How often have you heard that a particular sin just
crept up on someone?
- It also denies the wages of sin. Sometimes sin just looks
for a tiny crack to get in. If we are conscious of that,
it's easy to clean up the problem at the beginning. We can
take the problem to the Lord, and ask us to "lead us not into
temptation."
- Perhaps most important, it helps us deal with besetting sin.
It's discouraging to deal with such; the feeling that each week
you come back and try again with the same problem. But
that's much better than giving up entirely.
So then: at communion, examine yourself. See if the
small things are creeping up on you; examine the new temptations
which seem so small at first. If you need to, repent again of
that problem sin. Repent - and start again. The
sacrifice of the Cross is effective for all of these -- it remains
our task to apply it each week.
