Created for His Glory

A book I was reading a while back posed the question, "Why is it that when people pursue fulfillment in money and things, fulfillment is elusive?"  My response was "Because it's not true fulfillment for us.  We were made in the image of God, so it stands to reason that HE is where we are designed to find our fulfillment!"

Genesis 1:27 (NIV) says "So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them."  This doesn't mean that we have the same facial features, the same hair color, et cetera, but rather that we have an eternal soul.  There is more to it than that, but at this point it's something intangible, something that will be revealed when we are finally in Heaven with Him.  "Now we see but a poor reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face.  Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known." (I Corinthians 13:12, NIV)  Bottom line: God made us.  "For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb.  I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well." (Psalm 139:13-14, NIV)  When He created us, it was more than just our physical bodies.  He gave us souls, emotion, drive and purpose.  His purpose.  "For in him we live and move and have our being." (Acts 17:28a, NIV)

That is how we are created in His image!  We have been created for His purpose, for His glory!  Without Him in our daily life, we are empty.  We try to fill that emptiness with things around us that look pleasing, but it's like trying to fill a strainer with water.  The strainer was not designed to hold water, just like we were not designed to be fulfilled by worldly pursuits.

Hilarem datorem diligit Deus

Hilarem datorem diligit Deus

That, sadly, is one of the very few phrases I remember from the Latin course I took in high school.  At least it’s not something silly like “The quick brown fox jumped over the lazy dog.”  Oh wait, that was from typing.  Anyway...

I’m sure you’ve heard the saying before: “God loves a cheerful giver.”  It is actually (no surprise here) from a passage in 2 Corinthians 9:6-15 about generous giving (the last phrase of verse 7, to be precise).  While this passage is primarily considered to be about monetary gifts, I say that it is really so much more than that!

Is money the only thing we ever give?  No!  We give so much more, whether we realize it or not!  We give our time, we give our resources, and we give our experience, just to name a few.  When we go to church and teach a class or help in the nursery or work on the sound board or even make a pot of coffee, we are giving.  When we go out in the community and volunteer our time at a hospital or nursing home, we are giving.  When we are standing in line at the grocery store with an overflowing buggy and let the tired and harried looking young woman who walks up behind us with a baby on her hip and two more children behind her take her one pack of diapers and check out ahead of us, we are giving.

WHAT we give is not the point.  HOW we give it is.  If we do it with neon lights, making sure that everybody sees what a great thing we’re doing, then we are doing it to honor ourselves.  It is not truly intended to help the other person, but to make ourselves look good.  When we seek to honor ourselves, there is no space left to honor God.

Another name for this “giving” is “service.”  When we give of ourselves, we are serving.  This service how we show God’s love to those around us, sometimes without even saying a word.

So get out there, look at those around you at home, at church, and in the community, and ask yourself, “What would God have me do to serve this person?”

Do it quietly.

Do it with joy.

How Do I Talk To God?

This morning started like any other weekday morning.  After fighting with my alarm clock for about twenty minutes, I dragged myself out of bed and went to take a shower.  By the time I finished in the bathroom I was coherent enough to function and somewhat presentable.  I packed Boss-Man’s lunch, saw him out the door with a kiss, made the bed, and headed to the living room with my bowl of cereal (awesome breakfast, I know) to start my quiet time.

First things first.   I pulled out the prayer request book from my Sunday School class at church. (crunch, crunch goes a bite of cereal) God, please bless the couples going on the marriage retreat this weekend. (crunch, crunch)  Please bless this person having surgery next week, protect them and help them to heal quickly. (crunch, crunch, crunch)  About this time my tea kettle went off so I grabbed my cereal bowl and headed back to the kitchen to pour up my requisite cup of tea.  The whole way there, I continued down the list, punctuating each item with the crunch of my cereal.

Standing there at my kitchen counter, working on the last bite of cereal, it struck me that maybe I was going about it the wrong way.  I’m not necessarily saying that it’s wrong to eat while you pray, because we’re supposed to pray continually (I Thessalonians 5:17).  That’s a whole other post.  What I was wrong in was the way I was approaching the throne altogether.  I was allowing distractions to divide my attention.  I was talking to God as though I were calling to place an order for something.

“Yes, I’d like to order blessings for friends, ummm, about five couples.  I’d also like the safe surgery and smooth recovery, I think it’s on page 17 in the catalog…”

That type of prayer is a one-way conversation, which is better than no conversation at all, but still not true conversation.  It’s going down a list, shooting off item after item without waiting for any response.  It’s the difference between calling to place an order and calling your best friend to discuss what’s going on in your life.  You might still use a list, there’s nothing wrong with that!  I have to use lists just to make it through my day without forgetting something catastrophic.  It’s about pausing to let the Holy Spirit speak to you.

When we sit down to do our quiet time, we need to minimize distractions.  For me, that means I need to finish that bowl of cereal and pour my tea BEFORE I sit down with the Word.  We also need to pour out our souls to the Father the same way we do when we sit down with a friend over that same cup of tea (or coffee), with true conversation.  We need to listen as much as we talk.  It also helps to be well rested, so that you’re not dozing off when you’re trying to listen.  If that means moving around and doing a few things before having your quiet time so that you can be fully awake, then that’s what you should do.  Find what works best for you, and make it a habit to sit down with the Father every day.

Mary vs. Martha

Mary vs. Martha

As Jesus and his disciples were on their way, he came to a village where a woman named Martha opened her home to him.  She had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet listening to what he said.  But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made.  She came to him and asked, “Lord, don’t you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself?  Tell her to help me!”

“Martha, Martha,” the Lord answered, “you are worried and upset about many things, but only one thing is needed.  Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.”

- Luke 10:38-42

This is an almost daily battle for me.  My day starts with rolling out of bed and stumbling to the bathroom to take a shower.  Once that’s done, my eyes are usually open enough that I can manage to dress myself, then it’s off to the kitchen to pack my husband’s lunchbox for the day.  By the time he leaves for work, I have been out of bed for a little over an hour and can function somewhat like a human being.  At this point, I am faced with my daily struggle… do I go sit down in the living room with my Bible and dig in to the Word, or do I start tackling the mountain of housework that is always waiting for me no matter how much I get done the night before.

If you were to ask me, point blank, “Rebekah, which should you do?” the answer would be easy.  I should be like Mary and go sit down to have my quiet time with God.  However, when I look around my home in the morning, Martha starts to take over and I start thinking about the clean dishes that need to be put away, the laundry that is always there (six people can make a very large laundry pile very quickly, especially when one is a toddler learning to use the potty), planning out the steps that need to be done to have good nutritious meals and snacks, the preparation that needs to be done for the day/week’s schoolwork, etc.  These thoughts can get overwhelming, and my very human need to be in complete control of my environment often takes over.

I can get so caught up in what I think needs to be done that I forget about what God says I need to do.

When we have a specific part of our day set aside for Bible study and prayer, and actually DO it, we will grow steadily closer to God.  This will in turn affect the rest of the day.  The days I slip up and skip my quiet time are almost invariably the days that I lose my cool with the kids, that I get completely frustrated and overwhelmed in the kitchen, etc.  It’s when I sit down and read my Bible and spend time in prayer that I draw closer to Him.  That is when I can feel His gentle guidance more strongly throughout the day.  The kids and I may still “butt heads” over the things they don’t want to do, but I am able to handle that conflict with much more grace if I have spent time with God first that day.

When you look in the mirror each day, who do you see?  Do you see Martha, going about your daily chores and leaving no time for God?  Or do you see Mary, realizing that God should always come first, that the chores aren’t going anywhere and will still be sitting there patiently waiting for you to tend to them after your quiet time?