Using the mundane.

Please read the first two sentences here and do what the second one tells you to do. Go look into a mirror and write down what you see.......

........are you back yet?

Unless conceit and pride are our lifeblood none of us saw a superstar in the mirror. We didn't see the next baseball all star or piano virtuoso. We didn't see a billionaire tycoon or a Billy Graham. What you and I probably thought was something along the lines of, "I see an ordinary person filled with worry, uncertainty, and nothing special. Perfect!

We are exactly the perfect persons God is looking for and ones that are ready for employment in God's work. The word of the day and my life verse is from Romans 12 verse one. The Message by Eugene Peterson presents the verse in layperson's terms and I share it with you.

To affect the Kingdom of God does not require us to have multiple degrees from prestigious universities and doctoral programs. It does not mean we have to have a ten page resume of all the meaningful work we have already done. It does not set the bar for participation to be cleared by only Olympic pole vaulters. All that God requires from us is a willing and obedient heart to do work that glorifies Him. What kind of work are we talking about?

John Wesley boiled it down to three simple rules. 1.) Do no harm. 2.) Do good. 3.) Attend to all the ordinances of God. As you can see, three things that appear mundane have the possibility of changing a broken and divided world. Practicing these three simple rules can change us too! These three prongs of grace lead even the most unprepared and under-trained person to a place of importance in God's Kingdom.

Today is another opportunity to choose our primary action to not harm other created persons of God. We seek to honor the other person that carries the same God image in them as is in us. Our words and actions seek to not harm. Can we do it? Yes we can!

We secondly look to find ways to admonish in love, encourage with grace, and minister to another person with God's love. We set our own desires aside in order to bless somebody else. Can we do it? Yes we can!

The third activity and perhaps the foundation upon which the first two are placed is our own spiritual development. As we dig into, pray over, and meditate on God's written Word, our hearts are softened and shaped toward the service for which God calls us. We are engaging in 'on the job' training in God's Kingdom. we learn and grow as we go. Attending to God's ordinances demonstrates an ongoing love of God. We invest into knowing God with increasing measure.

Are we ready to use our mundane status to do extraordinary work for God? I sure hope so because the broken world certainly needs godly people living, moving, and affecting it in a holy and positive way. Can we do it? Yes we can Think you are mundane? I think I am mundane. Good. We are positioned strategically to be used of God for His good purposes. That sounds like worship!