Don't clean your room first

It's pretty easy to tell if my sons are telling me the truth when they run into the living room, where my wife and I are sitting, and report that their room is clean. The hardest part is getting out of my comfy chair and taking the ten steps to their room. I can look into their room, check the floors, lift the bed, and make sure that everything is in it's place. I basically have to open my eyes and move a little. There's no way for them to trick me into thinking it's clean when it's not, unless of course, there's something good on the TV :)

It's the same for our Father in heaven. We can't say that we are walking with Him when we aren't. There's no fooling him. Your heavenly Father doesn't want you to clean your room, however. He's actually ready to take that on and do it Himself. He simply wants you near him, walking with him. Get under his wing, let Him envelope you.

God wants your time today and He wants us honest about our sins. You blew it yesterday, several times. You were exhibiting the fruits of the flesh, not the fruits of the Spirit. You stink. I stink. God doesn't want us hiding that smell from Him, or acting righteous for His benefit, perhaps even deceiving ourselves about our own terrible smell. Unlike me, God doesn't say to His kids, "Go clean your room and when you're done I'll build Legos with you". God, our Father, says, "Come and walk with me because I want to cleanse you from your sins, and I want you to watch how I do it for you."

Sheesh, what a good Father we have. He's not asking for anything but our honesty and our company. He wants us to confess our sins and to pick us up when we stumble. When you get muddy and smelly because you ran off for some misadventure with your flesh, He's got open arms ready for you to get washed up. Every time He's there, ready to accept and cleanse. No matter how many times a day or how long you've been gone, He's ready, He's faithful, He's righteous, He's your Father who loves you without condition. BUT there's no fooling Him. You're either with Him today or you aren't. So what's it gonna be?

Thank you God for 1 John 1:5-10:

1:5 Now this is the gospel message we have heard from him and announce to you: God is light, and in him there is no darkness at all. 1:6 If we say we have fellowship with him and yet keep on walking in the darkness, we are lying and not practicing the truth. 1:7 But if we walk in the light as he himself is in the light, we have fellowship with one another and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin. 1:8 If we say we do not bear the guilt of sin, we are deceiving ourselves and the truth is not in us. 1:9 But if we confess our sins, he is faithful and righteous, forgiving us our sins and cleansing us from all unrighteousness. 1:10 If we say we have not sinned, we make him a liar and his word is not in us.