Cleaning the Basement

I grew up in a very old house. It was built in the 1890’s, so it was about 100 years old during my early years. I remember spending time in the basement of that house. It was a dark, dingy place. The main room housed my father’s woodworking equipment including an industrial sized wood plainer and some large contraption used for making spindles. When my father made furniture, the walls and floor of the basement would be covered with wood shavings. When the light would shine through the window, I could see them dancing in the air. It felt like I was under a woodshavings sea.
Venturing into the next room of my basement was an experience. There was a wall of home made canned jars given to us by my grandmother. They were covered in dirt as was the rest of this room. It was as if whoever built this house stopped at this room in the basement- I could literally see the basement end and the earth begin. So you can imagine how incredibly dirty my basement was.
I was always amazed when I had the fortunate opportunity of traveling to a friend’s house. My friend John had an F.A.O. Swartz in his basement. He had a 6’ long G.I. Joe AirCraft Carrier, complete with planes and G.I. Joes, all of the He-Man action figures complete with castle, and what seemed like the entire Transformer collection! What stunned me more than anything was his basement- it was soooo clean! It boasted paneled walls, carpeting, and even a snack bar! What a far cry from my dungeon.
Most houses have a basement. Speaking of our human hearts, we all have a “basement”. I don’t know how clean or dirty yours is, but from time to time mine needs a broom. This is called “Sanctification”. In Revelation 3:20 Salvation is depicted as letting Jesus enter through your heart’s door- He enters your basement. That is the easy part, now the basement needs cleaned.
“A Christian is sanctified as he identifies with Christ, and accepts in faith His sacrificial death and victorious resurrection. Sanctification is a daily acknowledgment of our union with God through His Son Jesus. As this identification occurs it is only natural for the Christian to offer every portion of his life to the control of the Holy Spirit.” (AG 16 Fundamental Truths)
Unlike cleaning my basement, I need the help of the Holy Spirit. He shines the light on the portions of my heart that need cleaning. He provides the power to turn on the Shop Vac of my heart. I can’t clean it on my own.
May you grow each day in your relationship with Christ. May your “basement” become cleaner with the Spirit’s power. May you come to realize that your Christian character is developed as you and the Holy Spirit walk together each day.