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Doing Laundry to the Glory of God

September 5, 2012Sharon Jaynes

Today's TruthWhether, then, you eat or drink or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God,(1 Corinthians 10:31, NASB).

Friend to Friend
In my last devotion we met Amanda who said, "I just never have enough time to spend with the Lord," Amanda cries. "I work forty plus hours a week, commute ninety minutes both ways, oversee elderly parents' affairs, and take care of my five-year-old son. I'm either on the road, at my desk or taking care of someone else's needs. And on top of that, I never feel like I'm doing any of it well. What does God want from me in the middle of all this madness? How can I carve out time for Him? I feel like I'm constantly failing Him!"
We also looked at how to solve Amanda's dilemma (and mine and yours) by erasing the lines between the secular and the sacred so that in him we live and move and have our being encompasses all of life. Here's what it would look like.

Suppose you acknowledge God's presence as you walk down the grocery store aisle, drive through the car pool line, sit in the hair stylist's chair, stir the spaghetti sauce, shampoo your hair, love your husband, or rake leaves in the yard. Isn't that what in Him we live and move and have our being really looks like? Praying with your eyes wide open at times is the only way to practice prayer without ceasing.

Monday always follows Sunday, but when you erase the lines that separate the secular and the sacred, the world becomes your sanctuary. God's presence one steady stream.

This was true for Jesus. He never hurried. He never panicked. He was never driven by the tyranny of the urgent. If I were in his sandals, I probably would have been wringing my hands with all I had to accomplish in three and a half years. I can hear myself now: "I've got three and a half years to make a difference. How can I cram all the miracles and teaching into this short amount of time?"

Three and a half years translates into 1,278 days. If you go back and count the days recorded in the four gospels, you'd 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.

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, doxa, 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. When that happens, words such as "do everything as unto the Lord" and "pray without ceasing" become clearer and more within our grasp.

Yes, we do need times alone with God. Jesus pulled away to be with the Father often. "Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed" (Mark 1:35). If Jesus, the Son of God, needed to spend extended time alone with his Father, then we certainly do too. However, by acknowledging God's presence in every aspect of our lives, we will experience the blessed union in all things. Moments of sudden glory will appear as manna from God.

God longs for you to experience His presence in the spin of the laundry, the sizzle of the cooking, the buzz of children's chatter, and in the quiet of solitude. From the time God rent the curtain in the Holy of Holies when Jesus took his last breath on the cross, God welcomed you into His presence…not just on so-called holy days, but everyday days.

Let's Pray
Lord, I'm glad You're sticking with me today…and I'm sticking with You. I acknowledge Your presence now and through my entire day. I'm not saying "See you later," with this Amen. We're going into this day together!
In Jesus' Name,
Amen.

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