Arise, shine… —Isaiah 60:1
“Drudgery is one of the
finest tests to determine the genuineness of our character. Drudgery is work
that is far removed from anything we think of as ideal work. It is the utterly
hard, menial, tiresome, and dirty work. And when we experience it, our
spirituality is instantly tested and we will know whether or not we are
spiritually genuine. Read John 13. In this chapter, we see the Incarnate God
performing the greatest example of drudgery— washing fishermen’s feet. He then
says to them, “If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you
also ought to wash one another’s feet” (John 13:14). The inspiration of God is
required if drudgery is to shine with the light of God upon it. In some cases
the way a person does a task makes that work sanctified and holy forever. It may
be a very common everyday task, but after we have seen it done, it becomes
different. When the Lord does something through us, He always transforms it.
Our Lord takes our human flesh and transforms it, and now every believer’s body
has become “the temple of the Holy Spirit” (1 Corinthians 6:19).” CHAMBERS
“The Practice Of The Presence
Of God” is a book of collected teachings of Brother Lawrence (born Nicholas
Herman), a 17th-century Carmelite monk. Brother
Lawrence was uneducated but well respected for his devotion to God and man. One thing that he preferred not to do was
work in the kitchen. He worked in the
kitchen of the monastery for over 15 years.
During that time, he influenced the lives of many people both within and
outside of the monastery. His day to day
life was drudgery, but his faith shined brightly as he practiced the presence
of God. When we find ourselves in a
difficult or unpleasant situation, our tendency is to behave as though we have
been abandoned .. that somehow, God has “left for the day”, and we must suffer
on our own. Poor us! The truth is that God is with us all the
time. It is just that we choose to focus
on ourselves and our circumstances.
Confession. Right now I am working
as a computer engineer for the Air Force.
Something that I don’t particularly
care for. My heart is elsewhere … my joy
is in serving not sitting in a cubicle. God
has me “in the kitchen”. The question
is, will I be faithful “peeling potatoes” and will I let the light of Christ
shine in my life? Or will I complain
about the fact that I am in a place other than my choosing? The answer lies in what I choose to focus
on. You see, it doesn’t really matter
where you serve. What matters is how you
serve. Brother Lawrence was focused on
serving others by serving God. Just like
Jesus. If my focus is on the Father,
then what I do for a living and where I do it, is really of no consequence. No matter where I find myself, I must practice
the presence of God. Keep my focus on
Him. (Philippians 4:11-13) “…. I have learned to be content whatever the
circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have
plenty. I have learned the secret of
being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry,
whether living in plenty or in want. I can do all this through him who gives me
strength.” When we lose our spiritual focus,
discouragement creeps in. When we become
discouraged, we move farther away from God, not closer. It is a dangerous place to be. I have experienced some amazing things in my
life. Spiritually significant
things. But nothing more significant
than my own salvation. No matter what
you face .. where you find yourself … you are sealed by the Spirit of God …
there is a song the children at the orphanage in Jacmel would sing .. “Bondye pa
bliye mwen, li konnen non’m” God has not
forgotten me. He knows my name. Something to keep in mind. ELGIN
Charley Elgin
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