Living
in union with the Spirit of God is in direct opposition to the philosophy of
this world. It is also a concept that few people understand or attempt to
pursue. God wants us to experience unbroken fellowship and unity with Him each
moment of our day.
We
can make our plans from a sacred or a secular viewpoint. The earthly issues
clamor for our attention, driven by satanic forces which disguise themselves as
important and imperative. Day-to-day activities crowd out any desire to increase
our intimacy with God.
Busyness
almost forces us to relegate our worship of God to one hour a week, to neglect
God's Word, and to forget to pray without ceasing. At times, guilt may prompt
us to establish a more spiritual routine, but events in life often sidetrack us
from that commitment.
Finding
a balance in our mindset is impossible until we get off the merry-go-round of
life, and choose instead to increase our unity with God (Romans 7, 8, 9). This
takes the conflict out of the equation and we do everything for the glory of
God (1 Corinthians 10:31).
Even
what we eat and drink, our to-do list, our scheduled events, our efforts at
work and at home change drastically. We totally surrender to God's plans for us
in all areas of our life, and the conflict in our soul ceases. We live in peace
and find more joy even in the mundane aspects of our life.
True
union with Christ allows us to commune with God during each aspect of every
moment of every day. Even the unexpected or frustrating events that we
encounter take on new meaning when we view them from God's perspective.
Prayer:
Father
God, show us how to submit to You in our role as a spouse, parent,
employer/employee, homemaker, community member, part of Your church family,
neighbor, etc. Teach us to view spiritual disciplines as part of every area of
our life. We want to live, move and have our entire being in You, so that our whole
life is an act of worship and unity with You (Acts 17:28).
Help
us to follow the leading of Your Spirit in everything that we say and do,
rather than compartmentalizing our activities between the spiritual and the
worldly. With a Godly perspective, we stop spinning our wheels, living in
frustration, and toying with bitterness over our lot in life. Each moment becomes
a faith-filled experience complete with Your peace and joy.
Thought
for the Day:
When
we live in union with Christ, we no longer neglect our self, our family, our
ministry opportunities, and our worship of our Creator and Savior and King;
instead, we walk in the Spirit and do not fulfill the plans of the devil for us
or the desires of our flesh.
-
Galatians 5:15-25
