2010 has closed its door; 2011 has opened another. This means God has not forsaken us, but has given us another chance at life, and another chance to live wholly for His glory. Let's look at "living for God's glory" a moment. 1 Corinthians 10:31 says, "Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God." We may smile and nod our heads in righteous piety, but do we take this verse at its fullest context? "I pray before I eat," we may say triumphantly. Apparently we forgot to read the remainder of the verse. You've heard that the Bible applies to every area of life? This verse could sum it up. Man's chief end is to glorify God and to enjoy Him forever, exactly what this verse is reminding us. "Whatsoever ye do" doesn't mean whatever we feel like doing or whatever we want to do - it is everything. That means how we treat our siblings, honor our parents, the music we listen to, the movies we watch, the books we read, the words we say, our attitudes, our thoughts, even the simplest chores around the house. We want to do something big, however. Some of us may be willing to face the jungles of Africa or the communist hostility in China, but no one wants to wield a toilet scrubber and face a dirty bathroom. Or, we may want to work in a big company for fame, recognition, money, or even just to make a difference, but who wants to help their father in his vision and business, especially if it is small and unnoticed? We would gloriously die on the mission field, but we don't want to live contentedly at home. We take Paul's words in Philippians 1:21 a little too far. Sure, to die is gain for Christ.
Daughters at home can get a little discouraged sometimes. Okay, maybe very discouraged (more than sometimes). This is dangerous- very dangerous - because the world begins to look inviting. We must not fall into that trap! Daily routine becomes monotonous. Because of our restlessness and discontentment, we are grumpy, moody, and liable to be snappish. The truth of the matter is that we are not happy with our position, and we don't want to glorify God in everything.
I'm not one for making New Year's resolutions. I never have been. Anything I might have "promised" myself in the past always ended in disaster, such as waking up every morning with a smile on my lips and a song in my heart. It's always the impossible with me. I might want to be completely loving, always honoring my parents, never quarreling [much] with my siblings, always having the right attitude in every situation, being a servant, daily displaying the Fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22,23), and on and on and on the list goes. Call me crazy, but I'm a perfectionist.
Mark 10:27 and Luke 1:37; 18: 27 say the same thing: with God nothing is impossible. So we think that, while glorifying God in the home, everything should be practically unproblematic. We want the easy life. Yet, if everything was easy and breezy, where would satisfaction come in? Our character would never be strengthened, our patience would never be tried, and we would never receive a "well done" from our Master. Life wouldn't be life without difficulty. There would be no triumph over trials and no ultimate glory in the end. We would be lazy good-for-nothings.
Again we take a verse out of context (many times we do this to fit our preferences, ironically). We as infallible human beings cannot be perfect! Everything is impossible with us because we cannot do good. (Romans 3:10; 3:23; 7:15; Isaiah 64:6) Therefore we shouldn't expect a miracle every morning (especially at 7:00 a.m.). However, this also doesn't mean we have the right to be a snappy grump. Titus 2:3-5 exhorts women of all ages to be holy, temperate, loving, discreet, good, and obedient - showing us a pattern of good works. I know from experience how hard it is to be kind and patient. But that doesn't give us the license to be mean, cross, and irritable. To develop a good relationship with family and friends we have to be considerate, helpful, understanding, and attentive. If not, bitterness and strife will cause pain because of rejection. Again, speaking from experience, people will want to completely ignore you if you haven't the right attitude. Everyone finds irksome people a chore to get along with. True love will find a way, however, even amongst faults. (1 Corinthians 13)
With a whole new year ahead of us, just waiting for us to taste the delicious delights pending over the horizon, we shouldn't expect the impossible. Instead, cultivate joy and contentment even in the smallest of things. People will be happier, and the atmosphere so much more pleasant. Because God in His mercy and grace has given us another chance, we ought to look forward with bright eyes and a rapidly beating heart. Only God knows what lies ahead, but we can be sure it will be something grand as long as we walk in His footsteps.
Living the impossible...
For the Crown Rights of Jesus Christ
Soli Deo Gloria!
For Christ's Crown and Covenant
Daughters at home can get a little discouraged sometimes. Okay, maybe very discouraged (more than sometimes). This is dangerous- very dangerous - because the world begins to look inviting. We must not fall into that trap! Daily routine becomes monotonous. Because of our restlessness and discontentment, we are grumpy, moody, and liable to be snappish. The truth of the matter is that we are not happy with our position, and we don't want to glorify God in everything.
I'm not one for making New Year's resolutions. I never have been. Anything I might have "promised" myself in the past always ended in disaster, such as waking up every morning with a smile on my lips and a song in my heart. It's always the impossible with me. I might want to be completely loving, always honoring my parents, never quarreling [much] with my siblings, always having the right attitude in every situation, being a servant, daily displaying the Fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22,23), and on and on and on the list goes. Call me crazy, but I'm a perfectionist.
Mark 10:27 and Luke 1:37; 18: 27 say the same thing: with God nothing is impossible. So we think that, while glorifying God in the home, everything should be practically unproblematic. We want the easy life. Yet, if everything was easy and breezy, where would satisfaction come in? Our character would never be strengthened, our patience would never be tried, and we would never receive a "well done" from our Master. Life wouldn't be life without difficulty. There would be no triumph over trials and no ultimate glory in the end. We would be lazy good-for-nothings.
Again we take a verse out of context (many times we do this to fit our preferences, ironically). We as infallible human beings cannot be perfect! Everything is impossible with us because we cannot do good. (Romans 3:10; 3:23; 7:15; Isaiah 64:6) Therefore we shouldn't expect a miracle every morning (especially at 7:00 a.m.). However, this also doesn't mean we have the right to be a snappy grump. Titus 2:3-5 exhorts women of all ages to be holy, temperate, loving, discreet, good, and obedient - showing us a pattern of good works. I know from experience how hard it is to be kind and patient. But that doesn't give us the license to be mean, cross, and irritable. To develop a good relationship with family and friends we have to be considerate, helpful, understanding, and attentive. If not, bitterness and strife will cause pain because of rejection. Again, speaking from experience, people will want to completely ignore you if you haven't the right attitude. Everyone finds irksome people a chore to get along with. True love will find a way, however, even amongst faults. (1 Corinthians 13)
With a whole new year ahead of us, just waiting for us to taste the delicious delights pending over the horizon, we shouldn't expect the impossible. Instead, cultivate joy and contentment even in the smallest of things. People will be happier, and the atmosphere so much more pleasant. Because God in His mercy and grace has given us another chance, we ought to look forward with bright eyes and a rapidly beating heart. Only God knows what lies ahead, but we can be sure it will be something grand as long as we walk in His footsteps.
Living the impossible...
For the Crown Rights of Jesus Christ
Soli Deo Gloria!
For Christ's Crown and Covenant
2 comments:
Thank you! We all forget sometimes to live life now where God has put us, and especially for teenagers like myself, it is easy to dream of the day when we can go out and serve Christ in the world, but we are unwilling to share him in our own home town NOW. Everyone is watching us, and that means perfect opportunity to glorify Jesus Christ!
Well said, Amera! Every day we have a wonderful opportunity to glorify Christ - in thoughts, words, and actions. Most times we fail, but as Philippians 4:13 says, "I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me." With God's help we can strive to be more Christ-like in every way.
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