Category: Obedience

  • Ordinary People with a Holy Calling

    Golden-crowned sparrow on a dogwood branch
    Golden-crowned sparrow

    On Saturday, Kathy and I took a stroll in a local  park. Yesterday, we attended worship at our local assembly. I greeted at the door, and she worked with the children’s ministry. We had leftover meatloaf, mashed potatoes, carrots, and turnips for supper.

    This morning, the house is quiet. The only sounds are the buzz of my laptop’s power supply and the dripping/gurgling of the coffee pot. Kathy has already headed off to work. She works part-time as a guest educational assistant at a local Christian school.

    As I type this, I pause to look out the window at a pair of golden-crowned sparrows moving between their perch in the dogwood and the bird feeder. A dove is cooing nearby, and I hear a dog barking in the distance.

    The narration has a brief intermission as Kevin gets his morning cup of coffee.

    It’s a good cup. Sometimes, in the morning, I’m not the best at counting the number of scoops so that the first taste can be an adventure. I must have measured right today.

    So what? Well, the subtitle of this daily devotional is “Experiencing an extraordinary God in ordinary life.” You have just seen a snapshot of our very ordinary lives. We’re ordinary, everyday people having an ordinary day. We’re just “plain folk”. Some say we’re boring, but I prefer the term content.

    The good news is that God works through ordinary people daily.

    Moses was an aging shepherd with a warrant out for his arrest for murder. Abraham was an aging businessman. Gideon worked secretly in the family winepress out of fear. The disciples were an odd combination of blue-collar workers, petty criminals, and zealots.

    It’s the power of our righteous and holy God who transforms the ordinary into the extraordinary.

    The all-powerful God of creation could have accomplished His goals in any way He wished. Yet He chose to give us the blessing of participating with Him. He’s given you and me, ordinary people, the task of sharing His love with the world. He’s made us salt and light in a dark world.


    “You are the salt of the earth, but if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trampled under people’s feet.”“You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven. Matthew 5:13-16 NIV

    That means that while our lives may be ordinary and the world may think we’re ordinary, we’re truly extraordinary people. Not because of who we are but because we’ve allowed a holy God to accomplish His work through us. You are an instrument of peace, love, joy, and transformation. 

    Absolutely nothing short of God Himself could be less ordinary.

    The flip sign of the coin is that we never know what other ordinary people are being used extraordinarily by God. That behooves us (I know behooves is a dated word, but I love the sound of it) to treat all people as if they were special in the eyes of God. We have no reason not to do so.

    Until next time, I pray you get a grasp on how truly extraordinary and how valuable you are for all eternity when Jesus works through you and may you learn to see all people as He sees them.

    Hallelu Yah / Praise God 

    Kevin

    You might also Like

    The Prince’s tears – beautiful but fragile

    Sea Glass – Beauty from brokenness

    Ordinary people used in extraordinary ways

    Your local church needs YOU

  • Grace and Space

    We need to give and receive both

    Frace and Space – aggressive driver, road rage

    The drivers in Abbotsford are often incredibly  aggressive. They tend to drive too fast, follow too closely, and not use their signals. If you happen to drive the speed limit, you will annoy plenty of people. Often, a lot of horn honking, yelling, and hand gestures are involved.

    I know there are plenty of exceptions, but when you drive, you are almost taking your life into your own hands. I’m sure our community is not alone in this phenomenon, which seems to be getting worse all the time.

    I frequently have to remember a mantra a friend in our community group uses when driving, “Grace and Space.” It would help if you gave other drivers both. When I am driving, I often repeat that mantra to myself.

    We need it in the church as well. You likely know the well-meaning people in your local assembly who walk up to people they barely know and attempt to correct their appearance or lifestyle loudly. It makes me cringe when I see it.

    It is even worse when they do it in the community to random strangers.

    I will confess that they are sometimes bang on the money with their criticism. Yet, I can almost guarantee that the “advice” will likely be ignored or worse.

    We are not called to be the Holy Spirit for others. Yes, there is a time and place for correction or church discipline, but this behavior typically is neither. 

    We need the grace to forgive, the wisdom to know when to speak, and the space to build relationships.

    We cannot expect non-believers to live like Christians. Even Christians need help living as they should. Without the grace of Jesus, we’d be sunk.

    I know I’m a work in progress, and much needs repair. You wouldn’t have to look hard to find something to criticize. I also know that God will finish what He starts, so I’ll get there according to His timing—which may not be according to my or your timing.

    Please give other people the grace and space you would like to receive.

    Let’s be sure the Spirit is prompting us before we begin to critique others. 

    Grace and space, my friends. Grace and space.

    Hallelu Yah / Praise God 

    Kevin

    Some posts you might enjoy

    Lost and found

    Right belief or right living?

    Bridge builders

    Clash of Values