The Christian Life: Colossians 3:17

"So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God."  --1st Corinthians 10:31

"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

"Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men." --Colossians 3:23

Last night, I woke up randomly at about 4:00 am. As I was laying in bed trying to fall back to sleep, these verses suddenly came to my mind. And, I wondered, what does it mean to do EVERYTHING in the name of the Lord/ to the glory of God/ as for the Lord? I do know what it means, but when you really think about it...everything is a lot. Sometimes it doesn't actually make sense, I mean, come on, how can I brush my teeth in the name of the Lord? Or, how do I drink a glass of water and bring glory to God? I'll come back to these questions in a minute; there was something else I thought about as I was considering these verses:

The Christian life is not just about reading your Bible, praying to God, being an example to others or even being a Christian. Newsflash everybody: The Christian life is actually a life! Maybe I'm the only one here who just realized this. But really, think about it. Even the most devoted missionary who's furthering God's kingdom in a rainforest in Madagascar can not live on the Bible or prayers. I mean...well, he could, if God wanted him to, but let's be practical here and say that Mr. Missionary can't. He's a human, after all, and to have the strength to be an example for others, he needs to eat and drink, sleep, brush his teeth, go places, talk to other humans, and on occasion, protect himself from a crazed lemur. And, apparently, he has to bring glory to God even while drawing his scimitar to fight said lemur. Maybe it's even several crazed lemurs.

I'm getting beside the point here, sorry. Moving on.

So, the Christian life is a life. Devoted missionary or not. We all have our own lives, we all interact with people, have jobs, hobbies, and pursuits. We engage in multiple different activities in a day, speak hundreds of words, and consume food and drink several times. And, God is commanding us to live every minute of every busy day in His name.

Now, back to my previous questions.

I don't think anyone I know is going to pick up their toothbrush and say, "God, I am doing this for You, in Your name, to bring glory to You." No. But, we can thank Him for the simple piece of plastic that hundreds of people all over the world have never had. Not that we have to say a long prayer of thanksgiving every time we brush our teeth or take a drink, but just saying "thank you" to God for what He has given us (which, by the way, is everything), is a step in the direction of living the Christian life.

There's a verse in Psalms that has always stood out to me: "The wicked, through the pride of his countenance, will not seek after God: God is not in all his thoughts." I used the KJV because neither the ESV or the NIV say "God is not in all his thoughts." That part really made me think, "Hey, God should be in all my thoughts!" I believe that when God is always in our mind, living in a way that pleases Him--doing everything to the glory of Him--will not only be easier, it will become natural. Of course, I struggle with both; I'm a sinful human being. But, as my relationship with Him has grown, I've found it becoming easier to live for Him. After all, it's all about love. When you really love someone, you'll do almost anything for them. So, the more I grow and fall in love with in Him, the easier it'll be to do everything as unto Him.

We have a book called "In His Footsteps". It's about a bunch of members of a church who pledge to take an entire year asking themselves, "What would Jesus do?" before they do anything. They suffer a lot, most of them lose their jobs or even homes and one person dies from an angry mob, but in the end, they're all changed in ways they never would have imagined. I read the book when I was quite young, and it made such an impression on me; I always wanted to try that. I don't know if I ever would do exactly that, but several times in a day, I'll ask myself what Jesus would do were He in my position. I know it can sound cliched, WWJD and all, but it really is a good question to ask yourself. It puts everything in perspective.

In conclusion, God wants you to live your everyday lives for Him. He wants you to mimic Him, and ask yourselves what He would do, give thanks for everything, and do everything in His name.

Even brushing your teeth or fighting a pack of crazed lemurs.

He Knows Everything

I kneeled in my garden, pulling up tiny little weeds and singing "I Will Cast My Cares". Then I dug a little hole and settled in the flourishing tomato plant that I've grown from a seed, piling the rich dirt in a little mound around around the base. I finished up by giving it a cool shower from my tourquoise watering can.

I'm like a tomato plant.

I used to be a dry little seed. Nobody even knew I existed--wait, no, somebody did. Before my seed had even germinated, Somebody was planning for me. My Gardener was ready for me, He knew me, and He had a plan for me.

Before winter was over, I was already planning for my very own garden. And I knew I'd be putting tomatoes in it. Before Jesus even created the first man, He knew who I was, and He loved me. He knew what my favorite color would be, what my hair color would be, and how tall I'd be. (Which isn't very tall, I know, but I'm okay with that.) And the same goes for you, too.

Here's my point: Jesus knows everything.

It's so easy to get stressed out, or worried, or overwhelmed with the cares of this world, and to wonder if God knows what He's doing. It's so easy to ask "why?", to be upset, and to forget that all things work together for the good of them that love Him. Perhaps you've been struggling with big problems lately, or things don't seem to be working out how you'd like them to. Jesus knows what's going on in your life. And not only that, He planned it, He loves you, and everything is going to turn out okay.

Those words, "everything is going to turn out okay" often mean nothing because the person saying them has no proof that they're true. But I do, or rather He does. The proof is Christmas, the cross, Easter, John 3:16, Romans 8:28, and you.

He loves you. He's there for you. He's in control. And, it really will be okay.