Just another day . . .

I was talking with Brant yesterday about being ordinary (common) and how the world seems to say you have to be extraordinary to really be a success. The world seems to hold in high esteem those who excel in some area or profession.  I don’t know that there’s anything wrong with wanting to be extraordinary but I wonder if we don’t set ourselves up for failure and in so doing miss a higher purpose.

I’ve never considered myself to be extraordinary at anything.  In fact I’m about as ordinary as they come.  But I’ve always strived to do my best because whatever I do, I do unto the Lord.  I no longer feel the need to be extraordinary but to be the best ordinary that I can be; depending on Him to make that happen.  Because ultimately it’s Him I want to please . . . not the world.  And isn’t that what makes us holy.

My reading this morning talked about holy, in regards to holy matrimony – being set apart for a higher purpose, not common (ordinary) or every day, but special and unique.  (Love Dare/Heb 13:4) This is how we should see our spouses and perhaps even one another because this is how our God sees us because of Jesus.  It’s His love for us that makes each of us extraordinary and that’s more than enough for me.

A morning muse on freedom

I started this morning reading the Love Dare devotional and came across the verse from 1 Peter - Yet not using liberty as a cloak for vice, but as bondservants of God.  (1 Peter 2:16)
I started thinking about and looking at liberty/freedom and read the following:
True liberty is living as we should not as we please.
"Free in yourselves, free in your conscience, free in your mind and heart.”  Spurgeon

I then read from a book by Frances Chan about Ester Ann Kim – a woman who was imprisoned for her faith and knowing she would be imprisoned, how she prepared herself and how God used her to be a light in such darkness.  This sentence really spoke to me:
“Her obedience to Christ only increased her ability to hear the voice of the Spirit, and consequently filled her with overwhelming love for the people she came in contact with.”

And then, in the quiet, I thought:  We have been set free to obey – and it’s a gift, not something we earn.  Thinking about the dogs and having them on a leash or not.  Bob’s desire to please, because he craves attention, has earned him the privilege of not always having to wear a leash.  He has learned to come when called (which keeps him out of trouble).  Autumn, on the other hand, wants to do what she wants to do, which sometimes causes her to run off and because of that, we usually keep her on a leash.  Shadow, because of his compliant nature, always stays close and comes when called and never has to be leashed.

God has set the standard whereby we can be free and has provided the means to real freedom, through the cross and through His indwelling Spirit.  The cross set us free from the leash and His Spirit guides us as we learn how to walk in true freedom.  It’s a day by day journey, but one we do not walk alone as we listen for His voice.