Hey Mrs. Cathy!
I wanted to forward this to you so that you might share it with the ladies at Titus 2! God never ceases to amaze me and make my heart smile!! I was talking to the ladies when we were sitting together about them getting jobs and how faithful God is to place you where you need to be when you need to be there. I told them about how hesitant I was about working at Lynn Haven Church doing janitorial work because I had just come out of a very different lifestyle where I was selling drugs and making plenty of money and I wasn’t sure I wanted to be scrubbing toilets but God’s plan was so perfect!! Working at that church was the BEST thing for me at that time!! Anytime we had turmoil in the house, I would go to work that night and be there, alone in the church with God and by the time I got off work, everything in my heart was right!! The night that we had the big blow up with another woman in the house, I was so angry about the whole situation and I had to leave right at the end of it to go to work!! That night, I realized just how much of a blessing that job really was. I walked into that dark church that was totally silent, walked right up to the alter and hit my knees. I prayed for God to help me let go of the anger, to help me better understand other people and their reasons for doing things, and most importantly for me to be better at trusting Him to make all things right, in His time. And then, in the silence, I listened. I listened for God to speak to my heart and in the silence, He answered. I have never cleaned a fellowship hall with a bigger smile on my face than I did that night!! From that point forward, I realized how important that church is and how important my job was to make it comfortable and presentable for others to come and experience what I had experienced in God’s house!! As I told the ladies Saturday, I was scrubbing toilets for the Glory of God!!! It was one of the best, most humbling experiences of my life and I will be forever grateful to LHUMC, Angel, you, and to God for allowing me that time to work there!! Then, tonight, this email popped up in my inbox!! Lol
God is so good!! So, if you will, share it with the ladies! It is a great little devotion! Love you lots!!
From: Proverbs 31 Ministries <devotions@proverbs31.org>
Date: Mon, Mar 19, 2018, 2:50 AM
Subject: Scrubbing Toilets for the Glory of God? | Evie Polsley
“So whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.” 1 Corinthians 10:31 (NLT)
I have the coolest job.
Seriously, every day I get to read the Bible and dive into amazing content to find ways to bless others. Working at a Christian publishing house, I get to work with amazing men and women who have dedicated their lives to bringing God glory through the written Word.
Still, there are times I just don’t want to go to work. Maybe there’s a huge presentation looming, I just can’t stand to look at one more spreadsheet, e-mails are piling up, or I once again have to use my “gift” of nagging so we can meet a hard deadline.
It’s during those moments of hair-pulling frustration that I usually see my friend Felix.
I can’t think of one time when I haven’t seen Felix smiling as he diligently goes about his work. Vacuuming the stairs — amazingly done with a smile. Polishing a drinking fountain — it shines like nobody’s business, and Felix did it with a smile.
That huge popcorn spill I had at my desk while nervously eating and trying to meet a deadline? You guessed it — Felix was there, helping me clean it with a joyful heart.
God keeps teaching me through Felix that it’s not what we do but that we do it for God’s glory. We can be the most consistent Bible reader or a walking theology encyclopedia, but unless we apply God’s Word to our daily lives, we are empty.
Consider the Pharisees.
They were the most biblically literate people around. They even knew the Law and the message of the prophets from memory, but when it came to their hearts and applying Scripture to their lives, they were in the negative zone. Check out Matthew 23 to hear how Jesus doesn’t hold back when rebuking them:
“What sorrow awaits you teachers of religious law and you Pharisees. Hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs — beautiful on the outside but filled on the inside with dead people’s bones and all sorts of impurity. Outwardly you look like righteous people, but inwardly your hearts are filled with hypocrisy and lawlessness” (Matthew 23:27-28, NLT).
Ouch!
Every day we face situations small and large where we need to choose how to respond. So, am I like the Pharisees, living my life for show and the praise of others? Looking all put together on the outside — but really letting pride and selfishness take control on the inside? Or am I like my friend Felix, who allows Christ’s joy and love to shine through him no matter the task?
When we read God’s Word, and apply it to our lives, we give God glory and praise. When we live out God’s truth, our lives are testimonies to His goodness, and we can bring real love and hope to a world that desperately needs it.
As today’s key verse says, “So whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God” (1 Corinthians 10:31). In other words, our actions should be motivated by God’s love … in order to bring God glory.
So, whatever I do — whether I’m eating or drinking, scrubbing toilets or finishing one more spreadsheet — I can pray: How am I honoring God? Lord, may everything I do be for Your Glory.
Dear heavenly Father, thank You for Your amazing Word that helps me grow closer to You. May it never become just something I read, but always be a living, breathing, transforming power in my life. Please forgive me for the times I don’t apply it and instead turn to my selfish desires. I pray I never let anything too big or too small stop me from giving You glory. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
TRUTH FOR TODAY
Matthew 5:16, “In the same way, let your good deeds shine out for all to see, so that everyone will praise your heavenly Father.” (NLT)
2 Thessalonians 1:11, “So we keep on praying for you, asking our God to enable you to live a life worthy of his call. May he give you the power to accomplish all the good things your faith prompts you to do.” (NLT)