Romans 12:1-2
So here’s what I want you to do, God
helping you: Take your everyday, ordinary life—your sleeping, eating,
going-to-work, and walking-around life—and place it before God as an
offering. Embracing what God does for you is the best thing you can do
for him. Don’t become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into
it without even thinking. Instead, fix your attention on God. You’ll be
changed from the inside out. Readily recognize what he wants from you,
and quickly respond to it. Unlike the culture around you, always
dragging you down to its level of immaturity, God brings the best out of
you, develops well-formed maturity in you.
Scripture
quotations from The Message. © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002
by Eugene Peterson. Used by permission of NavPress, Colorado Springs,
CO. All rights reserved.
I know about three people
on the planet who actually like to iron…myself, my friend Jo-Ann, and my
niece Cindy. I probably don’t iron as much as these two women, but I
do my fair share. I like the sharp, crisp appearance of neatly-pressed
clothing. I like how it feels to wear something that has been starched
and ironed. And this does add life to the garments, helps to prevent
stains, and prolongs the number of “wears” you can get between washings!
As
a rule, I don’t iron underwear…but anything that needs a little
pressing is up for discussion in my laundry room! One time, my husband
asked me why I was spending time ironing his “permanent press” shirts. I
told him I didn’t want him to walk into the bank or another public
venue and have someone we know see him in a wrinkled, rumpled shirt and
think, “His wife doesn’t care about how he looks!” I didn’t want
someone to look at his less-than-polished appearance and decide that HE
didn’t care about the details…because I know that he does! In essence,
details matter!
So I iron…lots of things that most folks
wouldn’t. Does this make me a better person? Absolutely not. But it
speaks to what I have deemed to be my determination to embrace God even
in little things. I have taken ordinary, mundane chores like scrubbing a
bathroom, grocery shopping and prepping fruits and vegetables for
consumption afterward, keeping the laundry done and the clothes neatly
pressed…and I’ve made them offerings to God.
When I clean our
house to keep my family healthy and everything in order, I am honoring
the gifts that God has given me – my family and a beautiful, comfortable
home. When I go the extra mile to make sure my family’s clothing is
presentable - or that we have healthy food to eat - I am demonstrating
gratitude that we have plenty of clothing to wear and regular meals on
our table. When I take time to read an extra book to one of the
children before a nap…or to sit and snuggle them for a few minutes…I am
sowing my love – and the love of Christ – into their little hearts…and
letting them know how precious they are to us.
Even when I stop
for a few minutes to talk with our cat, Mabel, and scratch her ears or
stroke her fur, I am demonstrating gratitude to God for this little
furball who has filled our lives with joy for more than 17 years. It
seems to follow with me that when I am faithful and joyful in the
little, everyday things, I am more cognizant of the bigger things…the
blessings - and the responsibilities – that God has given me. I find
that when I focus on honoring God in these seemingly insignificant
things, I am automatically more aware that I must keep my words,
thoughts and actions “clean and neatly pressed,” also.
Don’t
misunderstand me…I’ve had plenty of days where I acted immaturely. I
sometimes get caught up in the pull and tug to fit in with the
culture…and I’ve gossiped, disparaged, and shown out with the best of
them…if only to sit on my duff and say, “That’s not my problem,” or
“I’ll clean that up NEXT week!” But I know better…and so do you! The
more I fall in love with Jesus and understand just how much He did for
me…the more I want to give Him glory and honor in EVERYTHING I do…even
ironing our clothing!
Ironing and housekeeping may not be your
“thing,” but something is! Find out what brings you into closer harmony
with God…and get busy doing it to the best of your ability! Separate
yourself from the culture around you and be the YOU that God has created
and called. Honor and glorify Him in everything you do…from the
biggest, most visible acts to the small and mundane ones. Let God bring
out the best in you…and let others see His glory - and maybe a neatly
pressed shirt or two - in the process!
©2016 Debbie Robus
Showing posts with label how God uses ordinary people and events for extraordinary things. Show all posts
Showing posts with label how God uses ordinary people and events for extraordinary things. Show all posts
Daily Devotional for May 2, 2016
May 2 ~ John 8:23-24
Jesus said, “You’re tied down to the mundane; I’m in touch with what is beyond your horizons. You live in terms of what you see and touch. I’m living on other terms. I told you that you were missing God in all this. You’re at a dead end. If you won’t believe I am who I say I am, you’re at the dead end of sins. You’re missing God in your lives.”
Scripture quotations from The Message. © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002 by Eugene Peterson. Used by permission of NavPress, Colorado Springs, CO. All rights reserved.
A picture recently appeared on Facebook of my friends posing with country music singer Carrie Underwood at a concert she performed in a nearby city. As a birthday gift for his wife, this friend apparently arranged for them to meet the singer and take a picture with her. I’ve said before that I am not “starstruck” (although I probably would not pass up an opportunity to make a photo with a celebrity!)…but as I looked at these two people standing with Carrie Underwood, it occurred to me that SHE got the bigger treat!
This man is a wonderful family physician, a Godly father, and just an all-around “good egg.” His wife is the mother to four amazing children. As if that weren’t enough, she is trained as a neonatal nurse, and she serves in her church and community. She is kind and caring…and I am blessed to have known her since she was a little girl.
Here’s the thing...a lot of us are looking for the extraordinary. We operate in what we can see and touch…the “photo with a celebrity” we see on television and hear on the radio. Everywhere we look, he/she is doing what appear to be incredible things…and we get “starstruck.” We don’t see how God is using US to do things that are equally spectacular – if not more so.
We downplay the importance of nurturing our children so that they become polite, well-rounded and Godly individuals. We underestimate how God has worked in our marriages, friendships, and work relationships to create harmony and productivity. We fail to see the critical role we play in furthering God’s kingdom through our Christian witness - and our words and actions. We do not recognize God’s power to create “superstars for Jesus” in each and every one of us. And we miss out on God in our lives.
The lesson for us today is to stop and take a breath…to recognize that God is using us even in the ordinary and “mundane” activities of life to make a difference for His kingdom. Everything we do can be done to the glory of God. I don’t mean to take anything away from Carrie Underwood – or my friends’ exciting birthday celebration. But for my money, any person who recognizes God’s presence and influence in the simplest of everyday life events deserves “celebrity status.” I have to think that THESE are the people with whom God would choose to have a photo made…and I want to be among them! What about you?
©2016 Debbie Robus
Jesus said, “You’re tied down to the mundane; I’m in touch with what is beyond your horizons. You live in terms of what you see and touch. I’m living on other terms. I told you that you were missing God in all this. You’re at a dead end. If you won’t believe I am who I say I am, you’re at the dead end of sins. You’re missing God in your lives.”
Scripture quotations from The Message. © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002 by Eugene Peterson. Used by permission of NavPress, Colorado Springs, CO. All rights reserved.
A picture recently appeared on Facebook of my friends posing with country music singer Carrie Underwood at a concert she performed in a nearby city. As a birthday gift for his wife, this friend apparently arranged for them to meet the singer and take a picture with her. I’ve said before that I am not “starstruck” (although I probably would not pass up an opportunity to make a photo with a celebrity!)…but as I looked at these two people standing with Carrie Underwood, it occurred to me that SHE got the bigger treat!
This man is a wonderful family physician, a Godly father, and just an all-around “good egg.” His wife is the mother to four amazing children. As if that weren’t enough, she is trained as a neonatal nurse, and she serves in her church and community. She is kind and caring…and I am blessed to have known her since she was a little girl.
Here’s the thing...a lot of us are looking for the extraordinary. We operate in what we can see and touch…the “photo with a celebrity” we see on television and hear on the radio. Everywhere we look, he/she is doing what appear to be incredible things…and we get “starstruck.” We don’t see how God is using US to do things that are equally spectacular – if not more so.
We downplay the importance of nurturing our children so that they become polite, well-rounded and Godly individuals. We underestimate how God has worked in our marriages, friendships, and work relationships to create harmony and productivity. We fail to see the critical role we play in furthering God’s kingdom through our Christian witness - and our words and actions. We do not recognize God’s power to create “superstars for Jesus” in each and every one of us. And we miss out on God in our lives.
The lesson for us today is to stop and take a breath…to recognize that God is using us even in the ordinary and “mundane” activities of life to make a difference for His kingdom. Everything we do can be done to the glory of God. I don’t mean to take anything away from Carrie Underwood – or my friends’ exciting birthday celebration. But for my money, any person who recognizes God’s presence and influence in the simplest of everyday life events deserves “celebrity status.” I have to think that THESE are the people with whom God would choose to have a photo made…and I want to be among them! What about you?
©2016 Debbie Robus
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