Arise, shine . . . —Isaiah 60:1
When it comes to taking the initiative against drudgery, we have to take the first step as though there were no God. There is no point in waiting for God to help us— He will not. But once we arise, immediately we find He is there. Whenever God gives us His inspiration, suddenly taking the initiative becomes a moral issue— a matter of obedience. Then we must act to be obedient and not continue to lie down doing nothing. If we will arise and shine, drudgery will be divinely transformed.
Drudgery is one of the finest tests to determine the genuineness of our character. Drudgery is work that is far removed from anything we think of as ideal work. It is the utterly hard, menial, tiresome, and dirty work. And when we experience it, our spirituality is instantly tested and we will know whether or not we are spiritually genuine. Read John 13. In this chapter, we see the Incarnate God performing the greatest example of drudgery— washing fishermen’s feet. He then says to them, “If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet” (John 13:14). The inspiration of God is required if drudgery is to shine with the light of God upon it. In some cases the way a person does a task makes that work sanctified and holy forever. It may be a very common everyday task, but after we have seen it done, it becomes different. When the Lord does something through us, He always transforms it. Our Lord takes our human flesh and transforms it, and now every believer’s body has become “the temple of the Holy Spirit”
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February 19, 2014-JDV
Lord, once again you take me to a lesson about being connected to You. The previous three lessons were similar; lessons about despair, depression, and drudgery. And while we know that being in these states of mind and emotions are “natural human conditions”, You make it clear that the way out (or away) from these circumstances is to be connected to You. You are teaching us that obedience is a path to connection and one we should pursue for our own well-being, not because you simply want us obedient and conforming. Thank you for the ongoing lessons about connection and how being connected to You allows us to live apart from despair, drudgery and depression.
And God says…”I came to give you life and life more abundantly. I have provided My Son, the Word and the Holy Spirit to help you live this life of abundance. Simply be connected to Jesus, allow Him to live through you, and observe what an abundant life you can live…in the very same circumstances. Change is “an inside job”. When you are connected to Me through Jesus, you can see the world and your circumstance differently. Where you saw roadblocks you now see opportunities. Where you saw “no way” you now see clear paths to desired outcomes. When you love the Lord with all your heart, mind and soul, and love your neighbor as yourself, the world and your circumstances take on a different perspective. When you are connected to Jesus, you are energized and transformed beyond depression, despair, and drudgery.”
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