Spring Cleaning Ideas for Your Faith

I finally did it. I tackled a project I’d been putting off far too long—garage reorganization. My wife had urged me to do some spring cleaning in the garage, and I finally convinced myself she was right. Our garage needed lots of help. I came home from a trip to my local home improvement store with eight shelving units, a variety of wall hangers, and plastic tubs. I had everything I needed to give my garage a serious spring cleaning. And I did. I had finally achieved garage nirvana. And then it occurred to me that other things might need some spring cleaning, too.

An Old Testament “Spring Cleaning”

One of my favorite Old Testament stories is from 2 Chronicles, chapter 15. It tells the story of King Asa, one of Judah’s good kings. After the Lord defeated Asa’s enemies in battle (2 Chron. 14:12-15), King Asa was greatly encouraged and implemented his own kind of “spring cleaning.” It was a spiritual spring cleaning in which he led his people to remove abhorrent idols from the land, sacrifice thousands of animals as an act of worship, and commit their hearts to the Lord with a seriousness never seen before (2 Chron. 15:8-16). He even removed his own idol-worshipping grandmother from her throne! The attention was once again focused on God. The spiritual spring cleaning of both Israel and Judah was underway.

My Own Spiritual Spring Cleaning

Easter season is a wonderful time to make sure that my spiritual life is in good shape. I want get organized, take out the “spiritual trash,” and put things back in order so that I’m pleased with what I see. It can be a time of recommitment. Here are five areas in which you and I can focus our energy and attention as we seek to do some spiritual spring cleaning:

Recommit to attend worship. I want to lead my family well, and part of that includes leading them to be engaged with our church’s weekend worship services. I want my children to see my commitment to the Lord, and I want them to know that attending church is not optional. It’s something we do weekly because we are grateful for all the Lord has done for us.
Recommit to attend a Bible study group. One of the top indicators of year-over-year spiritual growth is the habit of weekly Bible study attendance.¹ If I’ve taken this privilege for granted, now is the time to recommit to belong to a Bible study group. It makes a difference and it helps me grow spiritually.
Recommit to read my Bible daily. I like the new Christian Standard Bible (CSB). It’s an easy-to-read translation, but it is highly accurate when compared to the original Old and New Testament documents. You can learn more at csbbible.com.
Recommit to give. Just like the people of King Asa’s day, I want to hold on to my possessions with a loose grip. After coming through the expensive Christmas holidays and tax season, I could be tempted to shortcut my giving. But I want to give with a grateful heart.
Recommit to serve. Most churches have too many people sitting on the sidelines. Part of my spiritual spring cleaning involves using my gifts and abilities to serve others. Jesus served. I should serve, too.