“So here’s what I want you to do, God helping you; take your everyday ordinary life – your sleeping, eating, going to work, and walking around life – and place it before God as an offering. Embracing what God does for you is the best thing you can do for Him. Don’t become so well adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking. Instead, fix your attention on God – you’ll be changed from the inside out.” Romans 12:1-2, Message Translation
There are days when all I feel like I do is get up, read the Word, change diapers, pick up the house, make dinner and go to bed. Maybe your days are filled with driving to work, making business calls or picking up take-out for dinner. But, no matter what stage of life we are in – we can become bored with our daily routines and forget to embrace each day as a gift from God.
What stood out to me in the scripture above is the challenge Paul gives us to embrace our everyday, ordinary life as worship to God. I have found that if we choose to worship God everyday (no matter how mundane our tasks may seem) an overflowing joy will fill our hearts. God will help us see that what we do each day is not ordinary – but extraordinary! While, the world may perceive what we do as meaningless, God knows our hearts and He sees our acts of everyday life as worship to Him.
Did you know that as you go about your everyday, ordinary life, that you are changing eternal souls? You are influencing someone’s life today, whether you realize it or not. Your encouragement and heartfelt concern for a co-worker, fellow mom or a grocery store clerk can literally alter their destiny!
Maybe you are a businessperson, minister or teacher. You need to know that every client you encourage, sermon that you preach or child that you impact is shaping an eternal destiny. The truth is, there are thousands of people who need what you do mindlessly each day. It may be your smile, uplifting word or a mastery skill that you perform at your job. But someone, somewhere, is in need of what you do in your everyday, ordinary life. Choosing to worship God through your everyday life will not only change you, but everyone around you as well!
Prayer:
“Lord, I give you my everyday, ordinary life: my sleeping, eating, going to work and walking around life as worship to You. I choose to fix my eyes on Jesus and what He thinks about me as I go about my daily tasks. Father, open my eyes to see how my life can be a blessing to those around me. Help me to see those who are hurting and need the gift that is within me. Someone, somewhere is in need of what I do in my everyday, ordinary life. May You use my life to glorify You. Take my ordinary and turn it into extraordinary this day.” Amen.
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Excellent word! I so identify with this….Our days are so amazingly busy, but God has been teaching me to live, literally, one day at a time. Actually, some days are spent living one hour at a time.
Whether we are influencing our children, our spouses, our co-workers, people at church, our family, or our friends, each one of us touches someone else – positively or negatively. How we view our daily lives often determines whether our influence is positive or negative.
Lord, help us always to be positive influencers!!
Oh this was a good one today. How slow and boring my days have seemed lately- like i should be doing more, but trying to be content with the job i have and the mundane-ness of the days. THanks for the encouragement. That was wonderful! miss you!
I love this. I feel like I live “Groundhog Day” every day with my little ones. This is the perspective God would want us to have. Amen Sister! I love you.
Thanks so much for the encouragement thru this article. I am sure that I am most likely the older of all you readers, but this is so what need to understand about our lives daily, no matter the season that we are in.
After raising my children, I am now taking care of one of my grandchildren and I can honestly say that I was concerned about taking on this responsibility, but after two months now with him…God has, and is showing how much the everday things are so important. Girls, the time will pass oh so quickly!!So please count it ALL joy.
I am so blessed to be able to nuture this little one thru the day and have a opportunity again to be around this innocence of a little child ( JUST AS THE LORD WANTS US TO BE) you are a dear one tracy, and I love you much!