The following was posted at The Blazing Center a little while back.  Often we need a new perspective on daily life and its “dailyness”.  Our tendency is to either fantasize that we are or will be someone hugely important or simply grit our teeth and deal with our unimportance.  There is something else though- something glorious.

But we urge you, brothers, to [love one another] more and more, and to aspire to live quietly, and to mind your own affairs, and to work with your hands, as we instructed you, so that you may walk properly before outsiders and be dependent on no one. 1 Thess 4.10-12

You probably won’t hear this verse read at many college graduation ceremonies. Keynote speakers usually encourage graduates to aspire to greatness, not to live quietly and mind their own affairs.

Most Christians lives aren’t remarkable. Most of us aren’t speaking at conferences, writing books or rocking at festivals. Most of us work at rather humdrum jobs, or labor with little thanks in our homes serving our families. We faithfully plod away, going to care groups and serving our church.

If someone made a movie about most of us it would probably be rated “B” for “boring,” or “U” for “uneventful”.  But when, by God’s grace, we “live quietly”, and mind our own affairs, and work with our hands, God is honored.

He’s no more glorified by the pastor preaching to thousands than he is by the Mom trying to get her one-year-old to eat his Gerber peas for the hundredth time.

He’s no more blessed by the man who leads thousands in worship than by the dad who runs a high lift all day, plays catch with his kids after dinner, and falls asleep reading a Bible story to his kids before bed.

Mundane is glorious in the kingdom of God. Because it takes God’s grace to live quiet lives of faithfulness, serving, and loving.  Aspire to do all you do, no matter how commonplace, for God’s glory.

Husbands, as you reflect on things you’re thankful for this week your wife is no doubt near the top of your list. As you think about how to express your gratitude for your wives I would encourage you to take time to consider the following post from the Desiring God blog.

The apostle Peter writes,

“Husbands, live with your wives in an understanding way, showing honor to the woman as the weaker vessel, since they are heirs with you of the grace of life, so that your prayers may not be hindered.” (1 Peter 3:7)

This is strange at first glance. How does caring for your wife connect to having unhindered prayers?

Here’s Wayne Grudem’s challenging commentary:

“So concerned is God that Christian husbands live in an understanding and loving way with their wives, that he “interrupts” his relationship with them when they are not doing so. No Christian husband should presume to think that any spiritual good will be accomplished by his life without an effective ministry of prayer. And no husband may expect an effective prayer life unless he lives with his wife “in an understanding way, bestowing honour” on her. To take the time to develop and maintain a good marriage is God’s will; it is serving God; it is a spiritual activity pleasing in his sight.” (1 Peter, 146)

Christian husbands shouldn’t feel that time given to their wives is “time away from the real ministry.” Time invested with our wives is time well spent. It’s God’s will—”a spiritual activity pleasing in his sight.”

Jennifer Martin recently pointed me to an online ministry called “Advent Conspiracy.”  Here is a summary of what they’re about.

Whether or not you join them in their project of digging wells in Africa there is some great stuff to think about and challenge the way we do Christmas.  There are needs all around us and God has given us the resources to meet many of them.  What will we do with the recources He has given us?  Will we turn inward with our abundance or outward?

Couple of good quotes to feed your soul today.

First, from the blog, Of First Importance.

“The cost for the recipient of God’s grace is nothing - and no price could be higher for arrogant people to pay.”

- Dan Allender, as quoted in Gospel Transformation

Second, from the Vitamin Z blog-

There is a tendency in some quarters today to promote a kind of evangelism without proclamation. Acts of service are done or people are invited to experience Christian worship. But without words of explanation these are like signposts pointing nowhere or, worse still, signposts pointing to our good works. The gospel is good news - a message to be proclaimed, a truth to be taught, a word to be spoken, and a story to be told.

- Tim Chester and Steve Timmis, Total Church, p. 54

The following was posted on the blog Irish Calvinist this last week.  Are you aware of Christ’s intercession on your behalf today?

The former priests, on the one hand, existed in greater numbers because they were prevented by death from continuing, but Jesus, on the other hand, because He continues forever, holds His priesthood permanently. Therefore He is able also to save forever those who draw near to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them. (Hebrews 7.23-25)

Who is the one who condemns? Christ Jesus is He who died, yes, rather who was raised, who is at the right hand of God, who also intercedes for us. (Romans 8.34)

“It is a consoling thought that Christ is praying for us, even when we are negligent in our prayer life; that He is presenting to the Father those spiritual needs which were not present to our minds and which we often neglect to include in our prayers; and that He prays for our protection against the dangers of which we are not even conscious, and against the enemies which threaten us, though we do not notice it. He is praying that our faith may not cease, and that we may come out victoriously in the end. (Berkhoff, Systematic Theology p. 403)

“If I could hear Christ praying for me in the next room, I would not fear a million enemies. Yet distance makes no difference. He is praying for me.” (Robert Murray M’Cheyne p. 179)

How can these blessed realities but drive us close to the Savior, even to his chest like the Apostle John?  He is more committed to his sheep than his sheep are to him.  We lag and linger but he is praying while we slumber.  The truth of Jesus’ ceaseless, fervent, impassioned, hearty, and successful intercession on my behalf calibrates my wayward heart afresh to the glories of Christ and drops fresh dew from heaven on my earth scorched lips.

Josh’s sermon yesterday brought to mind the following quote I came across a couple of weeks ago on the blog Vitamin Z.

“The same difficulties faced by people outside of the church, where divorce rates are approaching 40 percent, are also those faced by people within. A significant element of this pressure is individualism. In a culture in which the rights and desires of the individual are sacred, bringing two individuals together in a relationship as close as marriage is bound to create problems. There is also a disposable attitude toward relationships in general in our society, and this affects attitudes toward marriage. The breakup of the extended family with increased mobility has contributed significantly to the strain placed on marriage. The oft-quoted African proverb claims that “it takes a village to raise a child.” But Western culture is now prepared to leave it almost entirely to a couple (and in some cases a single person). Many of the support structures of previous generations have been removed, leaving marriage exposed and vulnerable.

There is no better place for marriages to be nurtured than in a communal setting for two principal reasons.

1. The Christian community provides the context in which we learn what it means to be persons-in-community. This is a foundational truth if we are to live successfully with other people. If the Western world’s prevailing culture reinforces individualism, a different culture is necessary to present an alternative. The church is a great context in which to learn what it means to live in relationship with others. It is the location in which my self-preoccupation will be confronted. This happens as I hear the Bible being taught. It happens as I am encouraged and rebuked by my brothers and sisters who take responsibility for my godliness. It happens as I respond to the Lord’s call to love God with all my heart and my neighbor as myself. It happens as God’s truth conspires with my circumstances to show me that this is not my world and I am not God. It happens as the community responds to my sin with love and grace.

2. The Christian community provides the best context in which marriages can flourish. In the contemporary context, marriage is sometimes little more than “plural individualism.” In the church we find practical support structures. In the church we find people who are committed to our marriage. They know from God’s word what godly marriage involves and will help us live that out. They know what godly marriage involves because, whether married or single, they themselves are part of a relationship of submission and love with Christ (Ephesians 5:22–31). The church provides a wider context that prevents marriages from becoming inward-looking and self-serving.”

- Tim Chester and Steve Timmis, Total Church, p. 136,137

I had an opportunity to write an article for the Auburn Journal this week and it was published in today’s edition.  You can read it here.  Pray that God would use it to spread the message of the gospel here in Auburn.

Here is the second part of Pure Church’s summary outline from a chapter written by Wayne Grudem.