January 9th, 2025
Thursday, January 9th
The Battle of the Mind
Shirley Davis
Some years ago, I cleaned houses for some elderly people. I viewed it more as a ministry as I spent much of the time listening and chatting with them. They mostly stayed at home and didn’t see many people. In fact, one elderly lady rarely moved out of the main part of her home, despite having several other rooms in the house. I have always believed in doing my best at any job, but at times I must admit, I was tempted to do a “quickie” job in some rooms!
As I painstakingly dusted multiple china ornaments on shelves, and reached behind furniture to ensure no errant cobwebs, sometimes a war waged in my mind: “this is ridiculous, she never even comes into this bedroom! …. Who is going to notice if I skip dusting here this week?.... I really need to finish up quickly today anyway…….”
But then a scripture would come into my mind: “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.” Colossians 3:23-24 (NIV) If I were cleaning this house for Jesus, how would I do it? Of course, I would make an extra effort to do the very best job I could!
The struggle that Paul writes about in Romans (battling with his sinful nature) doesn’t just concern “big” decisions in our life - we can recognize it in smaller, everyday situations. If we can win these smaller battles, it will help us be better prepared to tackle the bigger ones!
The Battle of the Mind
Shirley Davis
Some years ago, I cleaned houses for some elderly people. I viewed it more as a ministry as I spent much of the time listening and chatting with them. They mostly stayed at home and didn’t see many people. In fact, one elderly lady rarely moved out of the main part of her home, despite having several other rooms in the house. I have always believed in doing my best at any job, but at times I must admit, I was tempted to do a “quickie” job in some rooms!
As I painstakingly dusted multiple china ornaments on shelves, and reached behind furniture to ensure no errant cobwebs, sometimes a war waged in my mind: “this is ridiculous, she never even comes into this bedroom! …. Who is going to notice if I skip dusting here this week?.... I really need to finish up quickly today anyway…….”
But then a scripture would come into my mind: “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.” Colossians 3:23-24 (NIV) If I were cleaning this house for Jesus, how would I do it? Of course, I would make an extra effort to do the very best job I could!
The struggle that Paul writes about in Romans (battling with his sinful nature) doesn’t just concern “big” decisions in our life - we can recognize it in smaller, everyday situations. If we can win these smaller battles, it will help us be better prepared to tackle the bigger ones!
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