Clean Your Room

We had a great night at our church last night. A night of parent and youth interaction, where not once did I here the phrase "clean your room." Truthfully, though, I probably implied that when I talked about avoiding sin. God, through his grace and mercy, has provided us with this new live (or room) and now it is our task to submit to Christ and let the Holy Spirit work so it stays clean. The key is not trying to do it on our own. I have learned recently that there are a lot of things I can do in my own strength. My profession is one of them. My dad coached football and my mom was a piano teacher. I'm a people person. I can be goofy. Natural progression to youth ministry for me, right? But when I try to do this ministry deal in my own power, by relying on my talents or abilities, then the ministry suffers. But when I am weak and let God be strong, I notice a huge difference in my life and my work. My devotion this morning pointed me to the fact that struggle, disappointment and hurt help us grow. They show us we are weak and that we need God. Too often things get going well and I get complacent and I fail to spend the time with God that I should. My days are blessed when I clean my room!