Your Dirty Room

Did you clean your bedroom this morning?

No, I wasn’t there when your mother asked you to clean it! I just remember what a terrible thing cleaning up your bedroom is. And you may think the same.

Did you clean it up well?— the dirty clothes under your bed, the clothes on your closet floor, those toys that always sleep in bed with you, those dirty socks lost under the dresser, the candy wrapper left from that Nestles Crunch you ate in your room?

I hope so! And I’ll tell you the same thing your mother probably tells you: “A clean room feels so much better! Some day you’ll be glad you learned how to keep it clean!” But of course it doesn’t seem that way now.

But, listen — there’s another room we all forget to clean. And is it ever filthy! Each day we put more dirty things in this room. Each day we make it dirtier and dirtier.

If your bedroom became too dirty, I’m sure you’d want to clean it up! Suppose there were muddy spots on your pillows and sheets, or mice running under your bed, or spiders building webs in the corners. How awful that would be! Then no one would have to tell you to clean it up.

But the terrible thing is that this other room I’m speaking of is extremely dirty! And we don’t even care! We just keep adding more and more filth to it!

Do you know what room I’m speaking of? It is the room of — your heart.

Before you stop to turn the page, read a little more. Think what dirty things you have been putting into your room — those bad words you spoke to your brother just to sound “cool”; that backtalk you gave to your mother; the TV you watched at the neighbor’s house without your mother knowing; and that rock-and-roll music you listened to at your friend’s.

Each of these mudspots (we may call them “sins”) clutters the room of your heart more and more. But we forget all about that room. We keep our bedrooms clean, our clothes clean, our bodies clean, and our food clean —but what about our heart? This room we don’t even think about!

So now what should we do? Clean the room of our heart?

Surely, we can — and should — try to keep any dirty things (sins) out of this room, but that won’t clean up the filth that is already in there. Even if you would not bring more trash into your bedroom, that wouldn’t clean up the mess that is already in there, would it?

You can clean up your bedroom by yourself, but you cannot clean up your “heart room” by yourself.

But — there is one difference between your bedroom and your “heart room.” You can clean up your bedroom by yourself, but you cannot clean up your “heart room” by yourself. Your mother can’t do it, your father can’t do it, your minister can’t do it. Only one can do so. And that is God.

You must have your heart washed and cleaned by God, through the death of Jesus Christ. Do you pray for this each day? Even though we can live with a filthy bedroom, we cannot live happily with a dirty “heart room.” Pray continually to God for this to be done!

— SW

A Broken Heart

O Thou that hear’st when sinners cry,
Though all my crimes before Thee lie,
Behold them not with angry look,
But blot their memory from Thy book.

Create my nature pure within,
And form my soul averse to sin;
Let Thy good Spirit ne’er depart,
Nor hide Thy presence from my heart.

Though I have grieved Thy Spirit, Lord,
His help and comfort still afford;
And let a wretch come near Thy throne,
To plead the merits of Thy Son.

A broken heart, my God, my King,
Is all the sacrifice I bring;
The God of grace will ne’er despise
A broken heart for sacrifice.

My soul lies humbled in the dust,
And owns Thy dreadful sentence just;
Look down, O Lord, with pitying eye,
And save the soul condemn’d to die.

Then will I teach the world Thy ways;
Sinners shall learn Thy sovereign grace;
I’ll lead them to my Saviour’s blood,
And they shall praise a pardoning God.

Oh may Thy love inspire my tongue;
Salvation shall be all my song;
And all my powers shall join to bless
The Lord, my strength and righteousness.

— Isaac Watts

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