My list of projects to accomplish this weekend is somewhere near the level of insanity. As a teacher, I thrive on learning new things and finding innovative ways to communicate ideas to my students. So I have this nasty habit of creating projects for myself. Most times, I live somewhere on the continuum between order and chaos. Unfortunately, life doesn’t always match the length of my “to do” list. When I put God at the center of everything, however, each task becomes simpler.
In 1 Corinthians 10, Paul contrasts God’s faithfulness with the Israelites’ unfaithfulness. By doing so, he highlights that our beliefs are not revealed in our words, but in our choices. Though they had tasted of God’s goodness (1 Corinthians 10:3-4), the Israelites struggled to hold fast to the conviction that if God had provided for them before, He was capable of providing for them again. Instead, they presumed on God’s grace and didn’t follow Him with all their hearts.
The Israelites’ spiritual adultery didn’t begin with offerings to a foreign god. It began with a lack of faith. In our frail humanity, we run the risk of not faithfully following God, so we’re cautioned, “If you think you are standing strong, be careful not to fall” (1 Corinthians 10:12).
When times are uncertain and life is demanding, we can run to the shelter of self and allow fear to drive our decisions. Or we can place our decisions—and thus our lives—before God’s throne. When we see every part of life as an act of worship to Him, then all that encompasses our lives becomes an opportunity for the greatness of God to be made manifest. It allows His glory to be revealed.
NLT 365-day reading plan passage for today: Luke 2:1-20
More:
Read Psalm 90 to understand how to place work in its proper perspective.
Next:
In what area of your life do you lack faith in God and His provision? What does it mean to prioritize your commitments according to God’s perspective?
lindagma on June 10, 2011 at 6:14 am
Thank you Regina for that one liner…”when we see every part of our lives as an act of worship.” That pretty much brings everything in line. If our intent is to show worship to God in everything we do, it reins in sin, reins in pride, gives us wisdom, and freedom from worry…etc. Great concept.
cyntre on June 10, 2011 at 8:24 am
Thank you Regina for such wonderful words this morning, my soul has been extremely bless. I did not just keep the blessing for myself I shared it with others.
It was just last night a friend of mine and I were discussing about ‘spiritual adultery’ and you would be surprised that some people have never heard of such thing, but am glad that you shared such thing with us , and I was able to share it with her.
Great devotional.
regina franklin on June 22, 2011 at 1:23 pm
Dear Lindagma and Cyntre–Thanks for your words of encouragement. The Lord is truly good as He brings life from the struggles we offer up to Him.
mike wittmer on June 11, 2011 at 1:58 pm
Your post reminds me of the old hymn, “Trust and Obey.” When we trust God, obedience comes naturally. I wonder why it is so often so hard?
regina franklin on June 22, 2011 at 1:34 pm
Dear Mike,
Good question–and while I don’t think my response answers the question, I think it goes all the way back to the Garden of Eden when the enemy convinced Eve that God was holding out on her.
It’s contrary to our sin nature to free fall into the things of God.
Today as I was reading out the widow’s mite (Mark 12:44), I realized how often I try to live out of a place of surplus rather than being okay when I don’t know what’s going to happen next (and in more ways that just financial). I long to run strong in the direction of total dependency.
Tyla808 on June 17, 2011 at 6:08 am
I haven’t been visiting as often as I used to and missed a few months’ worth of posts. Strange, yet not that I always find the posts that I need to sustain me at the current spiritual place and heart condition that I am at.
My weakness is the predictability that I will always somehow over-extend myself and add to my “To Do” list and make promises which leave me feeling anxious and overwhelmed and in the end IF I even get close to completing 80% of my to-do’s it’s to the detriment of something or someone else on the list.
Grrrr. I get upset at myself and then mad at the world where by I rationalize that I could have gotten to everything and done a fabulous job at it too “if only…”
Self-reliance. If God isn’t at the center and you’re not relying on God but rather on your own strength surely you will fall…what a great scripture and a good reminder.
Thank you…I need to re-align.
regina franklin on June 22, 2011 at 1:38 pm
Dear Tyla808,
In a position of realigning myself:). My husband and I had a a great (although initially difficult) conversation where I had to face the reality that while I did truly feel stressed, I am the one who needs to set the boundaries on where my time goes.
I kept “clearing my plate” in moments of high stress only to add on more things in moments of rest (not quite the purpose of rest). God didn’t call me to save the world (as we would all be in a mess for sure!). He only calls me to walk well the things He places before me.
So for me, it came down to choosing His list over mine, His values over mine, and His approval over man’s.
tcarr89 on September 13, 2011 at 5:05 pm
Great article. Highlights some epic fails that I cannot make right 😛
however… I still don’t understand the principle of bowing everything to God as worship…? Also, what is the balance between doing things and waiting on God? Like… waiting on God won’t bring a bucket full of $100s onto our lawn, nor will it bring the perfect job opportunity knocking on our door… how do we know the difference between things that we lay before God and things that are just responsibility?
regina franklin on September 13, 2011 at 6:44 pm
Dear tcarr89–
Excellent questions! Let me tackle them one at a time:).
How do we make everything worship? In many ways, I’ve been guilty of inviting God into things after I’ve already made my decision. For example, taking on a new responsibility at church and then asking Him to bless my impulsivity. However, we worship the Lord in everything when we ask Him what He thinks before we commit or when we do something for His glory rather than for our own benefit. Let me give you what may seem to be a silly example. I used to see laundry as something I did for my family (especially my husband). Now, it is still something that benefits and blesses my family but I see it as something I can do in thankfulness to the Lord. Now, that doesn’t mean I sit down and pray to ask God if I should do the laundry:). That’s a given, especially when my children are running out of socks! But, I can still make it a place of worship with my attitude. Granted, when the laundry is seeping out the laundry and breeding before my very eyes, I don’t always leap for joy, but I think every task can be a commitment to Him first before it is to others.
What is the balance between acting and waiting on God? I think the answer to this one is “that depends.” I remember when my sister found out her job was being phased out. Her husband’s initial response was to think of ways he could pick up an extra job or extra hours. She felt impressed by the Lord to wait before her husband made any extra commitments and to do her part in putting out her availability. God provided in such a way that she didn’t even miss a paycheck. In that case, God had given them specific instructions to trust but she still had a responsibility to communicate her availability.
When I struggle with whether I should wait on the Lord before responding, I stop to ask whether I am being motivated by faith or by fear. If I feel like it’s up to me to make something happen, I might be operating in a place of self rather than from a position of trust.
Let me share one final example to illustrate God’s expectations versus ours in terms of our responsibilities. As a wife and mom, I carry the responsibility to make sure dinner is taken care of or to communicate with my husband what needs to be done. I consider that task my responsibility. However, what I need to lay before the Lord are the expectations I have of myself as to the form that dinner takes. Sometimes we take on the responsibility of cooking an elaborate meal and feel as if we have failed if it doesn’t happen. I don’t believe those are God expectations. God wants my best, but sometimes my best is loving my family well and keeping things easy (and therefore the home less stressed) by serving something simple.
Not sure if all of that makes sense, but just some thoughts:).