by Pastor Bob Lawrenz
A sinful world will always work to invade our lives and interrupt our service to God. When Jesus tells us that we are in the world, but not to be of the world, we might scratch our heads and wonder how we can separate ourselves from worldly distractions and habits.
Glorifying God, and being thankful
for all things is the first step. Romans 1:21 is a strong, healthy
warning to those whom refuse to give glory to God, and will instead grumble
about everything. Bringing every thought into the captivity of Christ is
another step. Scriptures even tell us that talking to ourselves will
fill a void in our thought processes: “Speaking to yourselves in psalms
and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart
to the Lord, and giving thanks always for all things unto God and the
Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.” (Ephesians 5:19 &
20)
Merely whistling while you work can
leave you like a couple of the Seven Dwarfs in Snow White: Grumpy &
Dopey. Those dwarfs were named after normal human traits. Happy, Doc,
Bashful, Grumpy, Sneezy, Sleepy, and Dopey. The names define who they
are. The traits are as human as we are without Christ.
To lift ourselves to God’s use, we
must want to be better than that. We must desire to be changed, and
allow God’s Divine Holy Spirit to flow through us to change us. To
dwell on His word, to meditate on it always, and to sing of His glorious
works will keep our minds occupied with heavenly things, even as we
work though our earthly responsibilities.
How much better it is to “put on” the
things of the seven spirits of God (Isaiah 11:2), rather than the
things of the Seven Dwarfs. While they are caught up in their own
fantasy world, we can be raised up to the heavenlies and begin to take
on Godly attributes. The simplicity of our mundane lives allows us to
work, and to give our hearts and minds over to God in the process.
The “Proberbs 31 Woman” has succeeded
in her many tasks of each day, but she has clearly been focused on
God’s word as she works through each task.
“She openeth her mouth with wisdom;
and in her tongue is the law of kindness.”
Prov. 31:26