Cleaning bit by bit

Today I am reminded of a woman I read about recently who had had trouble keeping her kitchen from getting filthier and filthier. She got to the point that she was too embarrassed to invite anyone over, she couldn't open her front door to anyone and gradually she didn't even care about her appearance. Help came her way through a friend recommending an app to her which took her systematically through daily steps to eventually achieve her goal. So, for instance, her first step was to clear and clean one kitchen counter and to only replace necessary items on it. God similarly does the same with us. In advance He has taken away all our sin as represented by filthiness, so that we can be united with him, and this is before we have done anything to deserve this free gift. This is the love aspect of grace which is as opposed to law which requires us to follow certain do's and don'ts in order to earn something. No wonder Paul exclaims at an attitude of continuing to sin because we are saved anyway so why bother being good. "What then? Shall we sin because we are not under the law, but under grace,?" (Romans 6:15). With love Jesus saves us in advance of no longer sinning. By faith in trusting we are already saved, and in deep gratitude, we then work on gradually changing into the person God wants us to perfectly be.