25June 2011 2 Kings 24:20

²⁰It was because of the LORD’S anger that all this happened to Jerusalem and Judah, and in the end he thrust them from his presence.
There is a limit to the Lord’s patience and tolerance for sin. Israel and Judah had both reached their limit. The Lord had tolerated their sin. He had put up with their rebellion. Notice the last phrase of this verse. Some things need to be thrown from our presence. I can think of a stinky diaper! Who wants to keep them around! How about rotten food, or road kill on a hot summer day. How about someone like Osama bin Laden or Adolf Hitler? What about internet porn or child abuse? Jealousy and gossip, anger and drunkenness. The list could go on and on. For some of us, we tolerate some of these things. Should we? Or should we throw them from our presence, following the Lord’s example. Heaven is a place where all evil is cast away. Nothing impure will enter or remain. We ourselves will be purified before we enter. The more we thrust away during this life, the more of the next life we will be able to enjoy. Maybe it is time for an inventory, a spiritual spring cleaning, where we get rid of everything that we have wanted to get rid of before, but were just too lazy to follow through. Maybe today is the day!