We often hear testimonies about life-changing moments, answered prayers, or major turning points. But most of life is made up of ordinary days.
Do you think God is just as present in the routine moments as He is in the extraordinary ones? If so, how have you seen that in your own life?
A repeated command in the bible is, ’ to settle down work, raise your families, and marry your children,’
There is also the often forgot passage in the law about the blessings and curses that come from following the law or from breaking it.
These show that God is very aware of the boring mundane daily life and that he values it.
In church exciting testimonies are reported simply because they are exciting, yet Moses spent 40 years as a shepard before leading Israel out of Egypt., Paul spent 3 years before becoming a leader.
It is the quality of ones daily life that makes a difference, not what a dramatic tale can I spin.
Interesting question. I was in Columbus, Ohio, spending some time with a pastor over there named Rod Parsley. I was standing in the World Harvest Bible College lobby when I heard, as clear as day, “My people are a family.” My response? “Yeah, yeah, I got it. Now I’m trying to pay attention here.” I heard it again. “My people are a family.” “Yeah, I know. I get it. I understand. Now let me get back to this.” One more time, “My people are a family.” That was it. “OK, I’m listening. What are you trying to tell me? I mean, really, God. I got it. I understand that if we are all children of yours, then we are all in your family.” What am I missing here?
Turns out I was missing a lot. Starting with the fact that many may or may not like. We are NOT all God’s children. We ARE all God’s creation. However, there is only one way to become a child of God. That is Jesus. That is the Spirit of Adoption. The Holy Spirit. If you are not adopted into the family of God, you are NOT His child.
Look at this in Romans 8
"For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, 'Abba! Father!” Romans 8:13
Once you become adopted into the family, you then receive many more brothers, sisters, mothers, and fathers. You are adopted into a very large family. The Family of God. Look what Jesus says here.
"Peter began to say to him, “See, we have left everything and followed you.” Jesus said, “Truly, I say to you, there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or lands, for my sake and for the gospel, who will not receive a hundredfold now in this time, houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and lands, with persecutions, and in the age to come eternal life. But many who are first will be last, and the last first.” Mark 10:28–31
We read this story in Luke. Jesus was teaching, and there were so many people there that no one else could get in.
"Then his mother and his brothers came to him, but they could not reach him because of the crowd. And he was told, “Your mother and your brothers are standing outside, desiring to see you.” But he answered them, “My mother and my brothers are those who hear the word of God and do it.” Luke 8:19-21
We are a family. Let’s look at a family. You sleep with, wake with, talk with, and spend time with your family. Everyday. You share your day’s events and seek to help those in need of comfort, encouragement, or celebration together. Is God’s family really one hour a week, maybe, if you feel like going to Church?
Think about this. If you have a need, you have a challenge in your life, you can always turn to your family. Your mom or dad can help you. Your older siblings may have already been through what you are facing. They can help you. When you are sad, they try to comfort you. When they are sad, you comfort them. If you are the oldest, you may be the one that others look up to. Again, God’s family? One hour a week, maybe, if you feel like going to Church?
The church is the people. You can have a church service in the middle of a field. You can have a church service in the middle of the street. The church that the Word talks about is always the people. A family.
Just like your earthly family, in God’s family, you have babies. Those who have just heard the truth and have allowed the truth to set them free. They know next to nothing and are in need of being fed, taught, ETC. You have teenagers. Those who are more knowledgeable, yet are not yet ready to go out on their own. They can certainly help in raising the young.
Then you have the moms and dads. Those who have grown up, put away childish things, and are in a position to teach, encourage, love, and guide in the way both children and teenagers should go. These are the elders of the church. Of course, you have the earthly father, who is the head of the church. The Pastor. The one who should be guiding the rest of the family. The one who is responsible for communicating whatever God himself tells him.
Look at what Jesus instructed John and Mary while on the cross.
“But standing by the cross of Jesus were his mother and his mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene. When Jesus saw his mother and the disciple whom he loved standing nearby, he said to his mother, “Woman, behold, your son!” Then he said to the disciple, “Behold, your mother!” And from that hour the disciple took her to his own home.”
John and Mary had no relationship before Jesus. John was a fisherman, and Mary was a teenage mother married to a Carpenter. Now many wonders, whatever happened to Joseph, Jesus’s “earthly father,” which he really never was. The last time we see him mentioned in the Bible is when Jesus was 12. The general consensus is simply that he died sometime between Jesus being 12 and the start of his ministry at age 30. This makes sense since Jesus appointed John to take care of His mother Mary, and it would have also been Joseph’s responsibility to take Jesus’s body after the crucifixion. However, since the Bible does not tell us for certain that he died, or how or when, we can not really know for certain.
Yes. Just like our earthly family, our Family in God is 24/7. He is our Father 24/7. If we let Him be.
Peter
Yes, I think God cares about our ordinary days.