Oslo, Norway is having a garbage crisis. It is not the type of crises you might think. Oslo needs more trash – a lot more.
The New York Times reports that half of
Norway’s capital is heated by garbage burning power plants. Oslo also boasts a highly effective
recycling program. The recycling
program is so effective the city doesn’t have enough trash to fuel its power
plants. So, Oslo is buying garbage
from other countries.
Oslo’s garbage crisis illustrates a spiritual
crisis we all face. Because of
messes in our lives, we recognize that we have a spiritual garbage problem
(sin). So, we work really hard to
clean it up. We invent systems and
procedures to maintenance the problem.
In the process, we create new problems for ourselves. We end up realizing our lives are so
rooted in sin, we can’t do without it.
Our lives are a part of system dependent on spiritual garbage.
Jesus
Christ steps into our crisis and offers freedom from the system itself. Jesus offers to make us a different
type of human that doesn’t consume or produce spiritual garbage. When we accept Jesus’ offer, the Holy
Spirit comes into our lives and begins changing us. We open our lives to the Spirit through prayer and study and
devotion and become more like Jesus.
Becoming more like Jesus involves becoming truly independent of the
spiritual garbage system.
In
the Gospel of John, Jesus describes this type of freedom well. Jesus says, “If the Son set you free, you
will be free indeed.” We can be
free from the garbage of the past and the dependence on garbage going forward. Praise the Lord!
This
week, find freedom from all spiritual garbage in Christ. Ask the Holy Spirit to make you into
Jesus’ image so that you can experience the freedom He promises. As you do, you will find great joy in a
life dependent on Jesus instead of trash.
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