GIVING GOD RECOGNITION IN EVERYDAY LIFE

GIVING GOD RECOGNITION IN EVERYDAY LIFE

It occurred to me this week that many Christians, including me, are neglecting part of our mission as followers of Jesus Christ. How? You ask. Well, we just don’t talk about the Lord in our everyday speech. God does so much for us, and His son Jesus does too, and yet when we relate our daily events to friends, family members, and strangers, we use a lot more of the phrase “I did this and that, and great things happened” rather than “Jesus did this for me” or “God opened this for me.” When God answers prayers, we give Him the recognition in private, but too often, we don’t acknowledge Him publicly in our everyday speech or our posts on social media.

 

When we’ve taken Jesus as our Lord, our lives aren’t nearly as much about us as they are about our Lord and brother Jesus Christ, and our Father God, the true God of heaven. As it says in Philippians 2:13: “For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure.” Whether we recognize it or not, God loves us and is personally interested and involved in everything about our lives every day.

 

God has given us a personal Lord to guide us, talk with us, help us, and be with us all the time. He’s arranged for signs and wonders to happen around us. He’s given us angels to protect us and warn us and push us in the right direction at times when we are hesitant. He’s arranged for other Christian believers to befriend us, and He’s even inspired unbelievers to do certain things that end up benefitting us. When we accepted Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior, God not only rescued us forever from Satan’s hell, but He took oversight of us and continues to orchestrate as many of His blessings toward us as we will accept. He certainly deserves our spoken recognition and praise.

 

I love how the King James version translates Philippians 1:27: “Only let your conversation be as it becometh the gospel of Christ: that whether I come and see you, or else be absent, I may hear of your affairs, that ye stand fast in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel.” I know that several translations replace the word “conversation” with phrases like “your manner of life” or “how you conduct yourself,” and that is definitely the bigger picture, but what we say out loud is a huge part of who we are and who we represent.

 

I think that the saying, “your actions speak louder than your words,” has been taken way too far. We have over-emphasized the action part and nearly annihilated the words part. But I really don’t think any of us have done this on purpose. It’s been a sneaky play on the devil’s part. He’s slowly introduced the idea into our thinking and culture, including the church. So we’ve tried to live for God without acknowledging Him (accept in designated praise and worship time at church, or in our private times in prayer.) This concept and practice has to change.

 

Jesus told his disciples back then, and he is telling us now: “Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature” (Mark 16:15).

 

We all know that the definition of the Greek word for “gospel” is “good news.” But do we know how easy it is to preach it? Every time we tell someone that “Jesus did this for me,” or “God opened that door,” or “Jesus brought that person to me,” or “God got that person away from me.” All of these verbal recognitions of the Lord’s presence in our lives—these are preaching the gospel! We’re doing God’s will, and it’s so easy to do.

 

We just say it. We recognize the source of the good things that happen in a day, giving God the recognition in our daily conversation. If we do it, others will start to do it too.  

 

Remember “Every good gift…is from above” (James 1:17).

 

Love, Carolyn

 

PS: Just now as I finished writing, Jane came in the door and said she had a present for me and handed me an Audubon calendar. She was at a coffee shop and a young couple in front of her were standing in line and had the calendar and didn’t know what to do with it. Jane overheard them talking and said, “I’ll take it if you don’t want it. My friend loves birds.” When she gave it to me, I said, “Thanks Jane. I love it! Jesus did that for me!” Thanks Jesus, and thanks Jane.

 

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