Today's topic is: REFLECTING GOD'S GLORY
Today's verse is Proverbs 31:15 -- "She gets up while it is still dark; she provides food for her family and portions for her servant girls."
–verb (used with object)
1.to cast back (light, heat, sound, etc.) from a surface: The mirror reflected the light onto the wall.
2.to give back or show an image of; mirror.
3.(of an act or its result) to serve to cast or bring (credit, discredit, etc.) on its performer.
4.to reproduce; show: followers reflecting the views of the leader.
5.to throw or cast back; cause to return or rebound: Her bitterness reflects gloom on all her family.
We have to have God inside to be able to reflect it back to the world... we have to be filled with God's glory before we can 'reproduce' it to others. Reflecting God's Glory also goes along with yesterday's message regarding humility and modesty. We have to live our lives to glorify God in all that we do and say, not just out to be self-proclaimers. We do not need 'praise', and if we are living our lives to receive the praise (that is only due our Father in Heaven), then we have some self-searching to do.
We need to be able to do the 'little things' that people around us know get done, but they don't know how they are getting done. We need to be able to step 'behind the scenes' and perform anonymously, and complete tasks that need to be accomplished for our home, our work, our church, and our community to thrive. Not ALL giftings are up on stage in front of everyone, for the whole world to see you 'perform'. Most giftings, we don't know about, because they are either done in secret, or done without anyone knowing who did it, how they did it, when they did it, etc... Sometimes in a church setting, people just go to church knowing for example the church pews will be clean, when they go to sit on them, and know that the communion cups are clean when they take communion. They receive a neatly folded bulletin, and are greeted by a beautiful reflection of God's love as they enter the church foyer. All these little things, are just as important in the 'body', as the worship leader, the Sunday School teacher, the Children's Church workers, and even the Pastor. Intercessors are also an important part that not too many people know are working 24-7 behind the scenes. Most people step into church and see the worship team, and wonder why that can't be them sometimes... they strive to be 'seen' in their giftings and praised by men. God wants us to desire to receive the praise from Him. (Strangely enough, he wants to sing over us, and praise us and give us the Heavenly reward -- sometimes even when we don't want to sing to or praise Him.)
Again, I haven't read the 'devotional today' from Nancy Leigh DeMoss... but these are my thoughts, and actually things that have been in my prayers, and thoughts, and even teachings in Children's Church, and messages in Sunday's sermons/teachings. There is not anyone in the 'body' that is more important than anyone else... now obviously the Pastor is the Shepherd, and he/she is leading the others and teaching the others, but his job has a higher amount of responsibility too. There are things 'behind the scenes' that Pastors do as well. Their job is just not on Sunday mornings and a possible Sunday night... it is an around-the-clock job too. The old saying (seen in Spiderman), "With great power comes great responsibility"... can also be fit as 'With great gifts comes great responsibility'. Jesus also quoted, "You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things." (Matthew 25 - Parable of the talents) There are too many people who want the 'noticed' gifts, but they are not willing to do the work that goes along with them. Too many people want to do the 'noticed' gifts, and are not even faithful in acting in the 'smaller' gifts they have been given. God wants us to be faithful with the talents and gifts he has given us... we each have been given the right amount that God knows that we can handle. When we are faithful in using the gifts, He will grant us a larger responsibility and put us in charge of many things. IF WE DO, then HE WILL DO... but if we aren't doing our part, then the 'body' is lacking too. God didn't create us all to be 'eyes' having the vision and insight... nor did he create us all to be 'feet' to travel around the globe in missionary work... Nor did He create us all to be 'mouths' to go out and evangelize and speak/teach the world... BUT, He did give us all eyes, feet and mouths to use in the areas that we are to be used in. HE CREATED US TO BE WHO WE ARE FOR A REASON... and we have to live up to that calling. We do not have to live up to the 'goals and dreams' of others. We are not all called to be 'Billy Graham' or 'Mother Teresa', or even 'Newsboys'... God wants us to step up and deliver the goods that he has equipped us with, to the dying world.
Now in our verse today, it says, "She gets up while it is still dark; she provides food for her family and portions for her servant girls." She gets up while it is dark... therefore she is not seen by anyone. She could get up, and finish the tasks at hand, and return to bed and have no one know that she is the one who completed these 'behind the scenes' tasks. She is not doing these jobs to receive praise, she is doing them to provide for her family, and even her servant girls as well. These portions are available each day when her family awakes, and when her servant girls arrive at the home to start the day. It is one less thing that the family and the girls have to worry about... it is finished. She humbly sacrifices herself, her sleep and her plans to awake early (in the dark is before the sun rises... so here in Canada it rises usually around 5:00 AM depending on the season I guess.)
Here is TODAY'S SUNRISE/SUNSET report...
May 15
Nautical Twilight Start : 3:48
Civil Twilight Start : 4:29
Sunrise : 5:02
Local Noon : 12:21
Sunset : 19:41
Civil Twilight End : 20:14
Nautical Twilight End : 20:55
(taken from the website, http://app.hia-iha.nrc-cnrc.gc.ca/cgi-bin/sun-soleil.pl)
Anyway, this woman is arising before 5:00 AM... something that is really hard for me to do (seeing as I go to bed sometimes around 1:00 AM)! =) But this is NOT saying that to be a Godly woman, I need to arise before 5:00. This is saying that she is 'dedicated'... she is making herself available to complete a task without question or complaining, and she is sacrificing her sleep and comfort to ensure that her 'family' is taken care of.
As a GODLY WOMAN... or a woman on the steps to becoming a 'Virtuous Woman' I need to dedicate myself to performing tasks, no matter how menial or uninteresting to provide and care for the ones I love. A home (and a church for that matter) does not just clean itself... I was in my local Christian Bookstore, CREATION and I noticed a book on the shelf, and laughed when I read it. I told my husband that I want this book... "The House that Cleans Itself"... and he replied, "no we just want that House". LOL! Too many times unseen tasks are completed by different family members (or in the sense of the church, members of the 'body') and when someone is looked down upon as they perform menial tasks, it hurts them, and in tail hurts the body.
There are a couple short stories I read in one of the "Stories for the Heart, by Alice Gray" about this exact thing. One is called "The Toe Tapper", and one is something like "The Keeper of the Spring"... (you may want to turn your volume down a little as a song plays in the background while you read the story.) And here is one version (download) -- In each situation the one who was performing the 'menial' task in the 'body' was performing their duty, but they weren't getting respected for the work being done. In the end of each they were both needed for the others to perform their tasks to the best of their ability. WE NEED the LORD, and WE NEED EACH OTHER!! We should not be out to do 'better' than each other, and to seek 'higher praise' and 'better rewards' from the Lord, we should be striving to do our part, so that others in turn can do their part, and we can complete the desired goal of the Father.
To read more on our "HIGH & HOLY CALLING" and being faithful in the little things, click the link to read DAY #9's devo.
"oh oh we need each other, what are we fightin' for?"
Be blessed and be a blessing as you REFLECT God's glory, and use your gifts and talents to the best of your ability, so that you may receive the glorious inheritance from our Heavenly Father. I close with those Scriptures found in Ephesians 1:17-23 -- "I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better. I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, and his incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is like the working of his mighty strength, which he exerted in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms, far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every title that can be given, not only in the present age but also in the one to come. And God placed all things under his feet and appointed him to be head over everything for the church, which is his body, the fullness of him who fills everything in every way."
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