Sunday, September 26, 2010

Your Daily Worship

I ran across a quote today that made me really stop and think today and wanted to share it with you.  Here is the quote from William Barclay:

“The humblest and the most unseen activity in the world can be the true worship of God. Work and worship literally become one. Man's chief end is to glorify God and to enjoy him forever; and man carries out that function when he does what God sent him into the world to do. Work well done rises like a hymn of praise to God. This means that the doctor on his rounds, the scientist in his laboratory, the teacher in his classroom, the musician at his music, the artist at his canvas, the shop assistant at his counter, the typist at her typewriter, the housewife in her kitchen -- all who are doing the work of the world as it should be done are joining in a great act of worship."

Paul wrote to the Romans, "Therefore I urge you brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God - this is your spiritual act of worship." (Romans 12:1 NIV)

Are you discouraged in the mundane work of life? Do you finish the laundry only to find more dirty clothes to wash the next morning? Do you wonder if anyone notices the noses you wipe, the dishes you wash, the stories you read again and again, the checkbook you balance, the card you send to a sick friend?  Does it really make a difference to God, or to anyone else?

Your Father God sees and knows every act of service you perform for someone else, every tear you cry, every hug you give, every small thing you do day in and day out that seems to go unnoticed by the rest of the world.  He sees the extra time you give to a project at work so that it's done well, the pride you put into your school assignments, the love in your heart as you fold your husband's laundry.  And here, my dear, is what should make you rejoice - not only does He see and know, but all those little things you do bring Him glory!  Your love for the Savior and His love for us is reflected in your work and it is continually pointing those around you to Jesus.

Praise God that He does not require what we are unable to give. He does not need a choir. He does not need a great sermon or graceful dance. He is able to take our humble everyday tasks and use them to bring glory to Himself.  So be encouraged.  You do not work in vain.  Your work does not go unnoticed.  When you work with your whole heart as unto the Lord, whatever you do, it shouts "Jesus! Jesus! Jesus!" to the world.  And He is glorified.


Thursday, September 23, 2010

Home Matters

This fall I'm taking a class called Home Matters.  It focuses on how to organize and rid your home of clutter, making it a beautiful and peaceful place for you and your family to enjoy.  As we go room by room through our homes, we are learning some spiritual applications along the way.  I wanted to share my home's transformation through the course of the class session with you on the blog.

Last week we concentrated on our front porch.  I finally put away an empty bubble container and a whole collection of assorted bubble wands and toys.  I also grabbed the bag of phonebooks left on the porch and put them away.  The last thing I did was to gather all the little containers of insects I had sitting in various places on the porch and combine them into one jar.  Ross and Gracie are collecting insects for an insect board for co-op, but more on that in another post!

Once I cleaned up the clutter, I started thinking about how to spruce up the area.  Our front door is navy blue and is a little scuffed and dirty after six years of going in and out, so a scrubdown and paint touchup is definitely in order.  Same goes for those faded blue shutters!  I've tried in the past to create a little seating area on my porch but still never go out there to sit.  I decided the back of the white bench out there leans back too far and isn't very comfortable so I never want to sit there.  So I am going to spruce up two of my patio chairs from the backyard (think cheap plastic stacking chairs) with some spray paint and a cushion and put them in the seating area instead.  Then I'm going to move my tea cart from the kitchen to the porch to hold outside necessities (like bubbles!) and give me a place to put my glass of wine while I'm out there reading or journaling or spending a little time chatting with my hubby.

Stay tuned for pictures!! And join me this week as we concentrate on the living room.

If you'd like to follow along with the Home Matters class, visit their blog at http://www.homemattersbecausehomematters.blogspot.com/ for summaries of the lessons and ideas from class members about what they're doing in their homes.