THEME: IT'S TIME TO SWEEP THE HOUSE
TEXT: ISAIAH 57:17
It is definitely important to keep our homes clean, as they say and it is a reality: Cleanliness is health.
It is necessary to remove all the garbage that we see in our houses, but not only we have to take out the visible garbage, but also the garbage that we do not see, that is to say the one that at first sight is not seen and for that we need a broom, it is necessary to sweep home.
When sweeping the house we realize that there was a lot of trash that could not be seen, when sweeping we can take out that garbage that at first sight is not noticeable, because apparently everything looks good, everything looks clean.
Tonight we are going to reflect on those situations that occur in our families that often are not noticed, are not seen by the naked eye, but are unpleasant to God, it is garbage that we have to remove from our house and that can cause more damage that the dust that is on the floor of the house, but we do not give importance.
We are not talking about things that are visible to the naked eye like adultery, abuse, abuse, vices, etc., but those things that are in the heart, those attitudes that we consider insignificant but that affect the harmony of the family . What things do we have to sweep in our house?
I. WE HAVE TO BARE SELFISHNESS (MATTHEW 22:39)
The true love of the family is not selfish (1 Corinthians 13: 5). The New International Version translates this verse as follows: It does not behave rudely, it is not selfish, it does not get angry easily, it does not hold a grudge. Selfishness manifests itself in our attitudes in marriage: "You do not make me happy! You do not make me feel important! Etc. We are always the center ourselves.
Selfishness manifests itself with our taxing attitudes, we want only what I say to be done, for the family to go out for a walk where I say, for the family to eat what I like, etc.
Selfishness manifests itself in the family when we make decisions just thinking about our feelings, for our own benefit, without thinking about the consequences that this can bring to the other members of the family. The word of God tells us that we should not think only of ourselves but first of all in our neighbor (1 Corinthians 10:24).
Selfishness also manifests itself in not wanting to share the things we have with other family members, and bothering us because others share with that person that we do not want to give them.
Since Biblical times selfishness has greatly affected the family (Judges 11: 2)
The word of God tells us to share for needs (Romans 12: 12-13)
II. WE HAVE TO SWEEP THE COUNTERS (PROVERBS 17: 1)
The word of God shows us that the contentions of our life are mainly in our family
With the brothers (Proverbs 18:19)
With the couple (Proverbs 19:13)
What do we need to get the fight out of our house?
We have to stop being influenced by people used by satan to put ourselves in litigation and discord with our own family (Proverbs 26:20).
We have to put our character under the dominion of the Holy Spirit (Proverbs 29:22)
We have to forgive ourselves and not give place to the devil in our family (Ephesians 4: 26-27)
III. WE HAVE TO SWEEP THE ENVY (PROVERBS 14:30)
According to the dictionary, envy is: Angry sadness or disgust for the good of others or for the affection or esteem that others enjoy. As the verse that we have read the envious one can not be happy, because envy is like rottenness in the bones, it is not seen, but it damages internally.
It is sad that within the family there is envy, that it bothers us to see the blessings and prosperity of the people we supposedly love. But even in the word of God we are shown that envy in the family has always existed (Genesis 30: 1 / Genesis 37:11)
How can we sweep away the envy of our house, of our heart towards our family:
Be grateful to God for what we have and stop comparing ourselves with others (Colossians 3:15).
Let us ask God to remove from our hearts the lofty spirit that makes us believe that we deserve to have the best things and not others (Philippians 2: 3).
Instead of envying the things that others have been able to have, instead of bothering us with the way people love someone in our family, let's ask ourselves: What's wrong with me?
We are envious of the work and the salary of our brothers or sisters, but we perhaps did not want to take advantage of the opportunities that we were given to study, to prepare ourselves. We did not want to work, we did not want to take advantage of the time, we should not bother about the progress of those who did.
We are bothered by the love they have for our brother or sister, and we feel that they do not want us the same, they do not value us equally, but what attitudes do we have? People are a mirror of our own attitudes (Proverbs 27:19).
REFLECT IN OUR ATTITUDES, WE BARIDE THE HOUSE TODAY AND PERMIT GOD TO HABIT WITH US IN OUR HOUSEHOLD.