I'm over here carving out some time to read "Irresistible Revolution" and absorb the impact of the DVD, "Anthem. (and now, Mr. Daddy's last comment has given me yet another book to read, once I'm done with "Revolution"...). So, for the moment, I want to share the latest "Holy Ordinary" devotional that I get daily. It struck me that God is intentional in what He puts in front of us, if we'll only take the time to connect the dots. This devotional was a piece of my personal puzzle; the time that I feel that I've wasted can still, in retrospect, be used to God's glory. That's deep..
Zero waste
October 21, 2009
1 Corinthians 15:51-58: Therefore, my beloved, be steadfast, immovable, always excelling in the work of the Lord, because you know that in the Lord your labor is not in vain. As our culture becomes more serious about preserving the environment, a strategy called "zero waste" is coming into vogue. The idea is simply to produce less waste, so that virtually everything can be recycled or composted. While the strategy may be new in the human world, it is one very familiar to those of us aware of the grace and mercy of God. I often wish I had opened myself to God earlier. But everything done and left undone in my past has heightened my awareness of God's mercy. Mistakes, oddly enough, have helped me learn forgiveness; if God can forgive what I have done, surely I can learn to forgive what others do to me. Seeing the past as productive rather than as wasted time helps me, despite mistakes, to "be steadfast, immovable, always excelling in the work of the Lord." If we look at the past as part of our history with God rather than with simple regret, we can know that "in the Lord our labor is not in vain."
So we have to move forward, knowing that God's "zero waste" plan means that everything in our past, present, and future can be used to find God fully. But we have to look back through the lens of hope rather than beating ourselves up. For mistakes can be used to build us up, but regrets can only cripple.
Psalm 38; Lamentations 2:8-15; Matthew 12:1-14Copyright 2009 by Carol Mead. This material is copyrighted, but you are welcome to share it in its entirety with others. To subscribe, visit the website at www.holyordinary.com
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7 kind comments:
Hi Pam,
I always love it when you give us food for thought! The message in this devotional is so very true. We are made new by God's grace and mercy and that allows us to act in the same way with those around us. What a blessing! Hope you have a wonderful day!
AMAZING!!! And such a great reminder for me! Thanks so much for sharing it!
Awesome reminder sweetie, love you.
Well said, my friend, well said.
WOW.
I missed this during a hectic week, and then God's timing brought me to it.
Literally, on the eve of writing a big important monumental (you get the idea) letter. About my past, about decisions, about forgiveness and hope.
And it's hard not to look at collateral damage (including to yourself) and balance it with God's forgiveness. But I'm trying - and that devotional is powerful.
Just WOW.
Thank you for sharing my friend!
I really liked that book by Shane Claiborne. Also a big fan of Rob Bell, and Brian McLaren....
I need a new devotional. I was thinking of trying Beth Moore since I have never read her before. This will be a contender! : )
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