Spring is here and there are signs of new life everywhere! Buds have turned into green leaves in the trees and flowers are in full bloom, sharing their beautiful colors and fragrances for us to enjoy. Nature really does seem to be at its best during the spring season: everything feels brand new and fresh!

This is a time when most of us get a nudge to clean out our houses with some serious spring cleaning! We want to open the windows for fresh air, clean out all of the old and bring in the new. Around the house, dark colors are replaced with bright colors; heavy blankets traded for lighter softer throws on still-cool evenings. More children are outside running and playing in the warmer temperatures, cheeks warm and red instead of cold and chapped.

Oh to clean out our souls during this season, throwing open the window of our heart for fresh air to revive us! While we can’t literally clean up our souls, we can probably practice a few exercises to get a burst of new life straight from God’s Word:

“This is the day the Lord has made. Rejoice and be glad in it!” This verse – taken from Psalm 118 – is a reminder that every day can start off with rejoicing, thankfulness and gladness. How refreshing to know that even before we get out of bed, we can stop and thank God for His goodness to us and the blessings He’s given us.

“Search me, God, and know my heart…” the Psalmist knew his heart was open to God, not for scrutiny or judgment, but for a thorough searching. In his earnest, David – the writer of Psalm 139 – wanted to know if anything appeared as ungodly or unholy in his search to be truly Christlike. We can take his example and pray to ask God to search our hearts as well to help us with our struggles and things that hinder our daily Christian walk.

Throughout the New Testament, Paul encourages us to strive to be more Christlike. In his letter to the Philippians, Paul directs us to be more thoughtful of attributes such as honesty, justice, purity and all things lovely. While the world doesn’t always offer these things – and sometimes in our own hearts we can find ourselves lacking – we have a good guideline with which to examine ourselves. Have you been dishonest, unjust or unfair? Here’s an opportunity for some soul-cleaning: be honest. Be just. Be fair. Apologize to someone you may have hurt or offended. Ask for forgiveness or be forgiving if someone has hurt you. Ask God’s help to be more honest and just.

You can start fresh today – or any day – with God’s gentle guidance to help clean out your soul. A simple prayer every day is a great way to start out focusing on God’s goodness instead of being anxious about the day. A personal or group bible study is also helpful for renewing our minds as we work to tend our soul and look for ways to bring new life in Jesus!

Author Bio: A Raleigh Baptist Church parishioner in North Carolina has provided the information in this article. For more on this and other Bible Study information, visit them today.

Category: Religion
Keywords: baptist church, bible study, new life