All furniture gets dusty at some point in time.

Do you dust your furniture and then have to turn around the next day and do it again?  Where does all that dust come from?  I go from one piece of furniture to another and I am amazed at the layers of dust I sometimes find.  How can the table I just dusted 15 minutes ago already have some dust on it and require yet another swipe?  Nah.

There was something I noticed though.  We continue to use the furniture even with the layers of dust.  We do not require that it be perfectly clean and dustless before we use it.  We never say, “Stop, don’t sit that drink on the table, it is too dirty and dusty!”  Nor do we comment, “This furniture is worthless now since it is soiled, let’s just throw it out!”  That would be silly!

And there is never, ever a time I say, “The side table should be completely and totally perfect before I will even think of using it.”  If that were the case, my house would be totally void of any furniture.

So, how is dusty furniture spiritual?

This illustration so reminds me of the redeeming love of God.  His grace and how He saves us.  Nothing more, nothing less. 

We may be soiled and layered with dust.  We may be a bit dirty.  We do not have to get all cleaned up before coming to Christ!  We do not have to be perfect to be used by Christ.  He delights in allowing us to be a part of His work all over the world. And if we are believers in the Lord Jesus Christ and salvation through Him, God sees us dust-free anyway…through grace!

Ephesians 2:8-9 ~”For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast.”

There is nothing you have done, or will do that can make him love you any more of any less.  If you have made a mistake in the past, dust yourself off and get up again.  Don’t let the enemy convince you that you are too far gone to ever be used by God.  Don’t be deceived into believing that you are worthless because of your past, all lies.

One of my favorite teachers/authors is Brennan Manning, who passed away April 2013.( http://www.BrennanManning.com) His books spoke to my heart in volumes.  He put it this way:  “The Good News means we can stop lying to ourselves.  The sweet sound of amazing grace saves us from the necessity of self deception.  It keeps us from denying that though Christ was victorious, the battle with lust, greed, and pride still rages within us.  As a sinner who has been redeemed, I can acknowledge that I am often unloving, irritable, angry and resentful with those closest to me.  When I go to church I can leave my white hat at home and admit I failed.  God not only loves me as I am, but also knows me as I am.  Because of this I don’t need to apply spiritual cosmetics to make myself presentable to Him.  I can accept ownership of my poverty and powerlessness and neediness….Our huffing and puffing to impress God, our scrambling for brownie points, our thrashing about trying to fix ourselves while hiding our pettiness and wallowing is guilt are nauseating to God and a flat denial of the gospel of grace.” (Ragumuffin Gospel)

May we understand the Good News, the gospel of grace.  Christ makes us clean, not what we do, but what He has already done.

And why not check out your furniture right this very minute.  If it is dusty, I bet you use it anyway!! 

Blessings dear ones

IN CHRIST ALONE

Isaiah 55:8-9

*NIV Bible, brennanmanning.com. THE RAGAMUFFIN GOSPEL, google image*