[Faith-talk] Daily Thought for Wednesday, May 25, 2016

[rbacchus228 at gmail.com]

I really liked this article.
Sent from my iPad

> On May 25, 2016, at 1:48 PM, Paul Smith via Faith-talk <faith-talk at nfbnet.org> wrote:
> 
> Hello and good day to you all on this hump day.  Of course you in Australia and New Zealand are already in your Thursday as this message is being written.  Anyway I hope that your day is going well, by God's matchless grace and His providential care.
> 
> Steven Thompson is a freelance writer from Iowa, and about four years ago he wrote an article that I'd like to share with you.  Entitled "Cleaning My Closet," it is rendered as follows:
> 
> I finally took the initiative to write it on next week's to-do list.  It had been years since I had attempted to clean the closet where I stored my good clothes, and now that I had written it down, I knew I had to complete the task.  The closet was so packed that I had to apply pressure to remove or hang clothing on the closet rod.
> 
> One morning I began the project.  I decided to divide the dress pants, shirts, and coats into three categories:  clothes to keep, clothes to give to charity and clothes to discard.  After a couple of hours of sorting and trying on apparel I had amassed several bags of clothes--some with their original tags and packaging--ready for transport to a local charity.  Plus, my closet actually had open spaces and empty hangers.
> 
> This encouraged me to get out several long-sleeved shirts still in their original package.  When Sunday arrived I wore one to church and was pleased to see the shirt not only fit the current styles but was also comfortable and attractive.
> 
> I realized I would not have been wearing this new shirt had I not first cleaned my closet.  The incident reminded me that cleaning one's closet could also precede finding blessings in other areas of life as well.
> 
> I realize my present life is always fully packed with some sort of activity, whether useful or not.  The activities resemble some of teh clothes I discarded.  Sometimes the activity has been given to me by others' demands and preferences, and though others feel these activities are good for me, they really don't fit my lifestyle.  There are activities I've outgrown, but I still hold a place for them.  Other activities are worn-out, and though I keep them in my life they serve little if any importance.  The key to having a successful life is to discard the old so there is room for the new that God wants to bring into our life.
> 
> Of course, we may find it difficult to discard certain activities in order to make room for pending blessings from God.  We may not be willing to discard an old activity or habit until we know the new one will work to our benefit.  Of course, that isn't an act of faith.  The apostle Paul notifies us of God's progression for our lives where he writes, "So if anyone is in Christ, there is a new creation:  everything old has passed away; see, everything has become new!" (2 Cor. 5:17).
> 
> We often imagine that if something new would appear in our lives we would find success, but perhaps what is keeping us from God's blessings is our reluctance to clean out the closets of our lives.
> 
> Thanks, Steven, for sharing this article with those reading it.  Tomorrow's daily thought article is one that will be similar in tone, but it will have its difference.  As they say, stay tuned!
> 
> And that will do it for today.  Until tomorrow when, Lord willing another daily thought message and article will be posted, may the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob just keep us safe, individually and collectively, in these last days in which we live.  Your Christian friend and brother, Paul
> 
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