March 16, 2015
Seeing God in the Bread-and-Butter Days
Sharon Jaynes
Today’s Truth
So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God (I Corinthians 10:31 NIV).
Friend to Friend
I love talking about sudden glory moments—those moments right smack in the middle of your busy day when God makes His presence known. I love looking for God prints in the fierce storms, piles of laundry, and mounds of white. One of my favorite blog posts was about finding the beauty in the snow.
But I never want you to think better of me than I really am. The snow melts. The mud remains. And the ordinary bread-and-butter plain days come back.
There are many days when I’m not exactly sleuthing for God’s fingerprints throughout my day. Most of the time, my life is just plain bread-and-butter plain.
Deadlines. Emails. Laundry. Cooking. Cleaning.
Life is so daily. One foot in front of the other. Nine-to-five sandwiched between get up, get there, go home, go to bed.
Where are the glimpses of glory in all that? What did Jesus do with all that? Before you answer, consider this: Jesus’ ministry, the part of His life that we read about in Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, consisted of about three and a half years. That’s 1,278 days. If you go back and count the days recorded in the four Gospels, you’ll come up considerably short.
So what was Jesus doing on the days that were not mentioned by Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John? He lived His life. He worked. He ate. He washed. He partied. He prayed. He studied. He meditated. He listened.
The Sacred lived in the midst of the secular in the one step in front of the other… bread-and-butter plain. And that is exactly where we can see God…where we can glorify God.
Paul wrote: “Whether, then, you eat or drink or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God” (1 Corinthians 10:31 NASB). Whatever you do…
Cleaning bathrooms to the glory of God.
Vacuuming the floor to the glory of God.
Reading my Bible to the glory of God.
Singing praises to the glory of God.
Being intimate with my husband to the glory of God.
Cooking dinner to the glory of God.
Helping in the soup kitchen to the glory of God.
Shopping for groceries to the glory of God.
Mailing packages to the glory of God.
Filing my taxes to the glory of God.
All things…to the glory of God.
What does “to the glory of God” mean? The Greek word for glory is doxa. It denotes honor or splendor, a reflection of God’s character. We are to reflect God’s character, His ways, and His splendor in everything we do. Discounting sinful behavior, such as sexual perversions, gossip, drug and alcohol abuse, or any number of immoral acts that contradict the life of a Christian, our entire existence—both in the secular and the sacred realm—could and should be an act of worship…could or should be a reflection of God.
When that happens, words such as “do everything as unto the Lord” and “pray without ceasing” become clearer and more within our grasp. Even in the bread-and-butter plain days, we can see God, we can reflect God.
In the spin of the laundry.
In the cleaning bathrooms.
In the vacuuming the floor.
Reading my Bible to the glory of God.
Singing praises to the glory of God.
Being intimate with my husband to the glory of God.
Cooking dinner to the glory of God.
Helping in the soup kitchen to the glory of God.
Shopping for groceries to the glory of God.
Mailing packages to the glory of God.
Filing my taxes to the glory of God.
All things…to the glory of God.
And when you do all things to the glory of God, you begin to see the glory of God in all things.
Let’s Pray
Jesus, thank You that there is nowhere I can go that is away from Your presence. Help me to see You, to hear You, to sense Your presence as I go about my living life to the glory of Your name,
Amen.
Now It’s Your Turn
How will you see God in your bread-and-butter plain day?
Where will you look for God in your bread-and-butter plain day?
Are you ready to do everything to the glory of God today? If so, click over to my Facebook page and say, “I’m living today for the glory of God!”
More from the Girlfriends
Want to experience God’s presence, not just on holy days, but everyday? If you are longing for a more intimate relationship with God, A Sudden Glory: God’s Lavish Response to Your Ache for Something More will help you find the answer to that glory ache and help you experience God’s presence right where you are. Click on the link to watch a video or download a free chapter.
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Girlfriends in God
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