Pastor Mark Hopper

By Pastor Mark Hopper

We decided to wash the windows around our house a few months ago.  It was surprising to see how dirty they were.  A little elbow grease and our favorite household cleaner produced some really clean windows!  I don’t think we realized just how dirty the windows had become until we began washing them.  Dust and dirt had collected over the past few months.  Summer rain storms and daily grime had coated the windows with a dirty film.

The screens were dirty too, so we also took the screens off the windows and hosed them down with water.  The results were amazing.  We could see out of the clean windows.  The screens and glass looked great.  The before and after were amazing.  What a difference it made to invest a little time simply washing the windows!  Now, when we look out the windows, we see things so much more clearly.  The trees look greener and the patio looks cleaner.  It was like putting on a new pair of glasses – we could see everything much more clearly.

I wonder how much dust and dirt build up in our own hearts and lives.  Harmful habits and self-centered attitudes can creep into our lives before we even realize it.  We didn’t realize how dirty the windows had become at our house because the dust and grime built up slowly over time.

There are times that each of us could be helped by a little “window cleaning”.  Each of us needs to examine our own hearts and seek God’s forgiveness for the sin that accumulates in our lives.

There is a verse in the Bible that says, “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (I John 1:9).

We all need to spend a quiet moment with God each day to “clear the decks” and “clean the windows” so that His light can shine brighter through us.  The windows in our homes and the windows of our heart sure look a lot better when they are clean!

Pastor Mark Hopper is from the Evangelical Free Church of Diamond Bar, 3255 South Diamond Bar Blvd.  Sunday services are 9 a.m. and 10:45 a.m.  For more information, call (909) 594-7604 or visit http://www.efreedb.org