Filling Empty Spaces

When the evil spirit arrives, it finds its dwelling in the person's heart swept clean and put in order -- Luke 11:25

In Luke 11:24-26, Jesus tells a story of a person who is temporarily freed from some unclean spirit inside, delivered for a time from corruption or addiction. Yet, as so often happens with cancer or infections or even bad habits, the evil that had seemed gone comes back with a vengeance, worse than before.

Why? Because its place was "swept clean and put in order."

I imagine Jesus grinning as he says these words, which sound like a riddle. Jesus knows that theoretically, we like our homes or hearts to be clean or in order. But the joke is that in practical terms, a lived-in house is never fully clean. In practical terms, "clean and in order" may imply an empty house.

In this story Jesus is warning us about an empty heart. It's not enough to rid our lives of things that are bad; we have to fill our lives with things that are good.

It's not enough to rid our lives of things that are bad; we have to fill our lives with things that are good.

The spiritual life isn't just about giving things up; it's about being filled. I hope you're able to join us for our regular Sunday worship at 10 a.m., where we practice filling our hearts with worship and Godly wisdom.

On March 30 we are having a special Youth Sunday with extra involvement from our kids. In April we are planning extra activities for Palm Sunday, Good Friday, and Easter. Come ready to see what God is doing!

--Jonathan