February 11 ~ Ephesians 5:15-20
Act like people with good sense and not like fools. These are evil times, so make every minute count. Don’t be stupid. Instead, find out what the Lord wants you to do. Don’t destroy yourself by getting drunk, but let the Spirit fill your life. When you meet together, sing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs, as you praise the Lord with all your heart. Always use the name of our Lord Jesus Christ to thank God the Father for everything.
Scripture taken from the Contemporary English Version © 1991,1992, 1995 by American Bible Society, Used by Permission.
I know you may think this is crazy, but I really like to wear clothing that has been ironed. And honestly, I don’t mind ironing itself… I just have trouble finding time to set up the ironing board, starch all of the clothing, and spend a few hours pressing everything. And maybe this is a poor use of my time… especially giving things like flannel pajamas a light starch and a steamy touch-up! On the other hand, I am not a big fan of house cleaning, although I love a clean house! I always feel like I could spend that time writing a devo or doing something else more “worthwhile.” But in reality, God wants us to live in clean houses and wear neat and clean clothing… and He blesses those who clean!
When this passage talks about making every minute count, people tend to think about “important” things, like careers and relationships and how we conduct ourselves in public. But actually, we Christians need to pay attention to the seemingly “mundane” areas of our life, too. Are we so busy cleaning house that we neglect our family and friends? Are we so wrapped up in spending time and energy on our appearance that we don’t have time for prayer and Bible study? I’m not saying we should never spend time on ourselves or keep things clean and organized. But we could all probably use a revamping of our priorities, to some degree.
The other thing that stuck out to me in this passage is thanking God in the name of Jesus. Now why would that be so important? Have you stopped and really considered what Jesus did for us - I mean really considered it? I can tell you that when I do this, it is almost more than I can bear. I am completely overwhelmed and humbled by the mercy, grace, and LOVE of Jesus. I can hardly comprehend that anyone could love me enough to do the things He did for me. So yes, I thank God in the name of His precious Son, for the blessings He bestows on me each day… and so should you. No one else will EVER love you like that. No one else will EVER go to bat for you on anything remotely near that level.
Jesus deserves our recognition… and our thanks. So I am going to make a concerted effort to call on His name when I thank God in prayer. Won’t you do the same? It won’t begin to repay Him for what He did, but it’s a start. And while you pray, you can clean your room or iron a shirt!
©2009 Debbie Robus
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