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| Fall asters |
And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him (Colossians 3:17, ESV).
When we offer our bodies to God as living sacrifices and offer our work to Him, all our lives becomes worship. The most mundane and even dirty jobs are transfigured into prayer when we do them for the glory of God, in obedience to the commands of Christ, in the power of the Holy Spirit. The heavenly orientation of the heart can find communion with the Lord God Almighty here at the computer where I tap or folding the never-ending laundry or weeding a garden or taking the dog to the vet.
We are often tempted to find our identity in what we do--I surely was when we were missionaries--but the only identity that will never fail or fade or disappoint is our identity as God's beloved children through the death and resurrection of Christ our hope. When we rest securely in His love, our work ceases to be our identity and becomes as fragrant incense ascending in praise to Him.
I call this orientation of the heart the sacrament of the ordinary. A favorite slim volume on Christian living describes it this way:
"Only God Himself can fill that blank which is made in His shape.
If we will yield to this, some of us will have a new outlook on life.
We will have a new zest for life, even in the dreariest surroundings.
As soon as the emphasis is changed from 'doing' to 'being', there is an easing of tension.
The situations may not change, but we have changed.
If fellowship with God is to be our first concern,
then we can have fellowship with God
in the kitchen, in sickness, in any kind of trying and difficult situation.
Whatever lies across our path to be done, even the most irksome chores,
are there to be done for God and for His glory.
Gone will be the further striving, bondage, and frustration.
We shall be at peace with God and ourselves."
~Roy & Revel Hession, We Would See Jesus, 16-17
Beloved Crumbles, may you find glimmers of God and of grace in all your ordinary ways today. May He keep drawing your attention back towards Himself and sweeten your tasks with His presence. May He fill your heart with song and shine the light of His countenance upon you, today and always, in Jesus' name. Amen.
