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Originally Posted by bigthirsty
Ok.. Lets talk real life and strip down everything else.
You get up in the morning.. take a shower.. and do what to glorify God while in the shower?
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Glorifying God isn't only done by doing big things like being a missionary or feeding the homeless. God is glorified when His children are mindful of Him in the little things, too.
In the case of taking a shower, I often use that time to recite scriptures that I'm trying to memorize. Other times I will pray or even sing praises. These things glorify God. I "redeem the time" (as the Bible says) so that I'm not just mindlessly doing something. The more time you spend with God, in prayer, in His word and meditating on scriptures, the more your mind is stayed on Him and you think about and regard Him during the rest of the day.
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Don't make me use a different bathroom example! I'm trying my best to stay away from that.
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Even in this case, it's possible. I was deathly ill at one point. (Literally) I couldn't perform these functions at all. I often remember that and am thankful that I not only came through that time, but can do these things normally now. In this case it's an attitude of thankfulness and remembering God's faithfulness.
Another example of this is that I give thanks, silently mostly, but sometimes openly, for every glass of water I drink. During my illness, I couldn't swallow a thing and I would have sold any part of my body for a drink of water. I NEVER take water for granted.
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I guess I'm trying to get to.. how do you do it now? No fakeness.. no "I glorify God everyday in everything I do". I mean fakeness in that I think we sometimes exaggerate our daily lives on this board..
Or are you saying you can glorify God in everything you do .. but you just don't?
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I agree with you. I hate fakeness. I don't have time for it. It takes too much energy and it doesn't help anyone. A Christian man, I forget who, once said, "Your best friend is the one who tells you the most truth." I agree. Any exaggerations people make, they will be accountable for. Me included. We are held responsible for every idle word and every lie.
Yes, I'm saying that we CAN glorify God in EVERYTHING we do, but many people just don't. Me, included. My goal is to go through just one day where my thoughts are always on Him. That's not easy. I believe God understands that and doesn't necessarily require that of us. It's not a duty to be performed. God's looking for our heart's attitude.
He enjoys being remembered throughout the day. He likes being part of our day and included in the things we do. Because of that, I try to do that. And I also pray that if I go too long without remembering, or acknowledging Him, that the Holy Spirit would nudge me back. And He does.
[quote]I'll be honest here.. I don't. I take a shower.. get dressed.. I'm trying to help my wife in the morning before I get out the door (i do a poor job there everyday).. I get home.. help cook dinner.. sometimes help wash dishes (I do an even worse job there).. and then put my child to bed.[quote]
It sounds like you're glorifying God in some of these areas to me. When you do help your wife in the mornings and help with dinner and cleaning up afterwards and putting your child to bed, that glorifies God because husbands are commanded to love their wives as Christ loves the church. I think that's part of doing that. Obedience to the Word glorifies God, too.
To do the things I mentioned above (like showering and drinking a glass of water) takes practice and persistence. It doesn't happen overnight but it will happen when we ask for God's help and keep at it. As I said, those aren't the only ways to glorify God. It's just one way we can do it.
A huge help to me in doing this was a very small book called
The Practice of the Presence of God by Brother Lawrence. Very small, very easy to read and very powerful. I don't recommend books lightly but I think every Christian would benefit from reading this book!
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Oh.. and forget about those 50-60 hour work weeks..
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Yes, this is very difficult. Especially on families. I don't know how you do it. I chose to remain single because I believe I was called to be single. I think being married and having children is one of the hardest jobs there is today, especially with the world influence the way it is.
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I don't have time to stop and think about whether or not what I do glorifies God. That may sound crass (sp?) but thats the truth.
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As I said, I don't think God requires our every thought to be about Him. But, I do think we all do have a choice to just stop, for even two seconds, and acknowledge Him throughout the day. If something you're doing is difficult, it takes very little to pause and say, "Help me with this Jesus. I need your strength/wisdom to do it." That's all. You don't even have to close your eyes, kneel down, fold your hands or anything formal like that. It's a simple, mental acknowledgement. And when a person begins to do this, it increases to more and more times throughout the day and becomes not only easier, but something you look forward to doing.
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Sometimes when I see people post on this board I think... "Wow.. I've found the most perfect Christians ever. Everyone seems to do everything right or at least seems to tell everyone how to do everything just right"
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That's the nature of the internet. Many people are addicted to the anonymity. Nobody can "prove" we aren't doing these things. The thing is, we're not even fooling ourselves when we talk like that.
Allow me to be the first to say, with every ounce of honesty and sincerity I can muster, I am the farthest person from perfect that I know. I'm not being falsely humble. It's not humility at all, it's just honesty. When others show me I am wrong, I am so grateful that they did! I'm not too proud to apologize or receive correction because I need it and want it.
It's important to not beat ourselves up over it though, either. We are all works in progress and God promised that when He begins a work, He finishes it. And don't compare yourself to others because none of us really knows the private life of anyone... in person as well as on the internet.
Compare EVERYTHING that's said regarding scripture with the scriptures themselves. We aren't even to take our pastors at face value, but to test everything against scripture. You are a unique creation of God. A one of a kind with a purpose and plan that He chose you to fulfill because no one else was designed to accomplish it the way you could. Just rely on Him.