Quote:
Originally Posted by Amcasci
Dear OBW,
You have hit an important point. It is the "ordinary" that needs emphasis in our time and not the exceptional. It is the exception for people to be in full time church work, going door to door, etc. The norm is found in "vocation" which Paul teaches plainly but so often ignored by Evangelicals who want to exalt "full timers' and "missionaries". Those are important but what about the ordinary work of doing your vocation with thanksgiving as unto the Lord. How about husbands loving their wives and raising their children. How about citizens honoring the government, how about children honoring and obeying their parents, how about youth respecting their elders. Most of us live very ordinary lives and do ordinary things because that is where we have been placed. Too many moan and wonder what the will of the Lord is for their life instead of saying, "where I am right now and what I am doing right now (assuming it is godly) is the will of God even it is cleaning toilets." Doing all that we do with thanksgiving in our hearts is the teaching of Scripture and not pining to be the "elder", the "burning one", "the full timer" and on it goes. QUIT EXALTING THE EXCEPTIONAL.
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"Where I am right now is the will of the Lord." I believe this is extremely true. And mostly because I believe that where we are, what job we have, even what wife/husband we marry, are too often
not things to which God attaches an aspect of his will other than that we will live in concert with his general will within each of those.
In other words, seeking out something called "the will of God" for self-fulfilling evidence that I should be right here at this time v somewhere else is a kind of superstition.
But what I do with my living where I am right now is always part of his will. He wills that I live in obedience to his commands and teachings wherever I am. He is concerned that we do that in two ways. One is that we live in unity with each other within the broad Christian fellowship. And he is concerned that we live in a manner that is humble, righteous, just, etc., and that reflects love for others that is the same as our love for ourselves in all our actions and interactions. Even how we drive our cars, rush to be first in some line (or more rightly, don't), point out the error that is in our favor at the checkout stand, And so on. I don't need some special revelation to live this way. Just knowing the truth and having the desire to follow and obey the One who saved me from the ultimate consequences of my sins should be enough. I don't even need some lengthy "quiet time" each day before I engage in these activities. As Peter said, I have everything I need to do it.
This is our spiritual sacrifice of worship, not "preaching the gospel." It is in treating the coworker who is living with his/her girlfriend/boyfriend the same as I do the part-time preacher. Or the gay guy. Or the jerk that just created havoc on the road. (And maybe some remorse for the attitude that starts with the presumption that the person was a jerk.) Maybe I will actually get the opportunity to "preach the gospel" to one of these. But maybe not. I should be the same in either case.
I just confronted someone a few days ago for seeming to put forward an attitude that we do our "justice" with strings attached — if there is no clear possibility for the eventual preaching of the gospel, we should reconsider that aspect of justice as not worthy. That is a failure to love neighbor as self.
My attitude should not be altered by the "quality of the material."
Or the racial, ethnic, national etc., background of anyone.