How often does the garbage need to go out?

Taking out the garbage is an ongoing chore. No one takes out the garbage once and then never needs to take out the garbage again. Daily life creates garbage. That garbage needs to be taken out routinely and disposed of. Even people who attempt to live a life mindful of the environment still create some garbage that needs to be dealt with. If someone only took the garbage out once and never again, the trash would pile up. The piles of trash would attract pests and varmints and then start to stink. Living in a home where the garbage is piled all around is dangerous. It can make a person sick. It could easily become a fire hazard. Garbage is an ongoing chore.

It is the same with renewing your mind. A Christian cannot spend an hour or a day or even a month renewing his or her mind and be done. It is an ongoing chore. Thoughts, ideas, and habits creep into your mind and accumulate. Some of these are truth and bring you closer to the Lord. Some thoughts, ideas, and habits are trash. If you don’t renew your mind, then your mind will be filled with ideas, thoughts, and habits that cause damage.

Renew your mind honestly and often. What is your thought life like? Where did those thoughts come from? How do your thoughts measure up with the Word of God? With His truth? When was the last time you read verses of the Bible and compared the Word with what you think? With your own opinions?

If you do not regularly read scripture, reading a Proverb daily is a good practice. So, if today is August 28, then you would read Proverb 28. On August 29, you will read Proverb 29. On September 1, you will read Proverb 1. Another good daily reading habit to consider is reading five Psalms daily. To do this, you use the day of the month and multiply by 5. That is the Psalm you end on. So, if today is August 28, then you would take the number 28 and multiply by 5. 28 x 5 = 140 (feel free to use a calculator!) You would then read Psalms 136-140. On August 29, you would multiply 29 by 5. 5 x 29 = 145. You would read Psalms 141-145. On September 1, you would multiply 1 by 5. 1 x 5 = 5. So you would read Psalms 1-5.

If you commit to reading a Proverb a day or five Psalms a day, the good news is that if you fall out of the habit, you can start back up with the day of the month as your reference point.

Pray that you are able to renew your mind daily! Taking out the garbage is a good thing!