Everyday Jesus

Too infrequently do we consider the mundane when it comes to the work of God. Living in our world today, we sit looking to God as if to watch a 3-D movie with bespectacled eyes, waiting for and expecting something big. But, what do we have to say of the God of the every day? Not to say that God does not do great and mighty things every day, but surly I am not alone in ministry or in life to wonder where God is and what he is doing sometimes.

As I have participated in ministry, I have found it to be one of my life’s most difficult challenges. People are complicated, and ministry is, if anything centered on people. I often will go weeks and even months wondering about the impact that the hours of time and joules of energy invested have had on those I am ministering to. I can become a proverbial riptide of emotion and all too frequently I find myself out to sea, far from where God wants me, far from where Truth is. It often requires God throwing a life preserver to bring me back, sometimes a Truth-bomb, sometimes a word of encouragement, but always God’s sovereign hand at work.

I found myself in one of these predicaments not too long ago. Not getting into many specifics, an aspect of my ministry has been experiencing low numbers and difficult people-problems. Discouragement loomed at every meeting. I became lazy in my preparation, and downtrodden in the ministry itself. The number of attendees became the main contributing factor to my attitude. I got stuck.

Thankfully God being God reached in and dragged me out of this place. In love he held me accountable to my discontent and reminded me that he is the one who does the real work. He made it clear that no matter how many were there, it was important for me to value the ministry and the individuals it was striving to serve. With time, my heart began to change, and the ministry began to become more effective.

Then one night, after a particularly difficult event, God being the God of the minutia, as well as the God of the grand, gave me a gift. Through a long series of events, a phone call turned into a blessing when someone said “thanks for being there”. It’s so simple, but it was so important. It showed me that God was at work. It reminded me of God’s teaching to value people, no matter how many there are.

All that to say, even if it’s not a 3D movie extravaganza God is always at work in your life. He is ever present in the mundane and everyday walk of the Christian. He is the one who does the heavy lifting. So, brothers and sisters please be encouraged! God is moving, even when it doesn’t seem like it. He is at work.