Friday, September 6, 2013

Everything Is Spiritual


"The God who made the world and everything in it is the Lord of heaven and earth and does not live in temples built by hands. And he is not served by human hands, as if he needed anything, because he himself gives all men life and breath and everything else. From one man he made every nation of men, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he determined the times set for them and the exact places where they should live. God did this so that men would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from each one of us. 'For in him we live and move and have our being.' As some of your own poets have said, 'We are his offspring.'” (Acts 17:24-28 NIV)

Have you ever thought of the act of going to class or doing homework as spiritual?  How about going to work, playing soccer, or going for a hike? We typically think of spiritual acts as those involving prayer, meditation, Bible study, or going to church.  What Paul says to the Athenians, and to us, is that all of life, every act, is spiritual because “in Him we live and move and have our being.”  

Because of God, we live.  Every breath we take is because of God. Everything we do in life is the result of God’s infusion of life into us and His sustaining of it.  Nothing we do would be possible without God.  Thus, every aspect of our lives is spiritual.  

Life is easy to compartmentalize.  We have our academic life, our social life, our work life, our family life, and our spiritual life.  We tend to rank them in order of importance depending on the day.  When our GPA is in the tank, we tend to make academics a priority.  When we make some great friends, social life becomes our main focus.  Thus, we view life as made up of separate spheres that we seek to manage and keep balanced.  

However, what Paul tells us is this is a false understanding.  Not only are these spheres not separate, they all actually fall into one.  All of life is contained within the spiritual sphere.  In other words, life is spiritual.  He says elsewhere, “And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.” (Colossians 3:17)

Today, recognize that everything you do today is spiritual.  Thus, live in a way that honors the One who gave you breath and life.

© Jim Musser 2013

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