How to Live for God Every Day: 4 Ways
The iridescent glow of a half-moon makes shadows on the picture frames across the room. For just a moment, I let myself get lost in the faces inside the frames. I remember taking the photos of children in a far-off place. It was a life-changing season, a time of learning how to live for God every day.
How to Live for God Every Day
Maybe you can relate.
Maybe you look back to a different season of life, a time of fulfillment and passion for God.
Or maybe you’ve never stepped into this way of living.
You want to learn how to live for God every day, but you don’t know where to start.
I reflect on these thoughts as I rock my baby boy through the long night hours. As I stare into his full cheeks and resting eyes, these moon shadows call me to give thanks.
God’s Invitation: How to Live for God Every Day
I’m reminded of the words I read earlier in the day.
. . . choose for yourselves today whom you will serve: whether the gods which your fathers served which were beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you are living; but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord. Joshua 24:15
We have this verse etched on a plaque in our entryway. These words have become so familiar that it’s easy to miss their meaning.
However, at this moment with the sleeping boy, I recall the words, and I wonder if I’m living by them.
Let's pause to ask ourselves a poignant question: Do we really cast down the things that keep us from fully serving the God we love? #followingJesus #castingdownidols Click To TweetJoshua admonished the people of God to stop serving the carved images of gold, wood, and stone.
Perhaps I’ve grown proud that there are no statues of golden calves in my living room. Nevertheless, I have my own idols: materialism, success, perfectionism, image, and control.
How to Live for God Everyday by Casting Down Your Idols
I dwell on it under the pale light that breaks through this darkness, and I consider the idols in my life.
Today, I’m sharing three of those idols with you. I invite you to read slowly and let God speak to your heart.
Let him show you if he is inviting you to step into your best life by casting down any of these same idols.
1. Live for God by doing away with the idol of rushing.
How might our lives be transformed if we managed to eliminate hurry from our days?
Hurry is an idol when it steals our peace, focus, and kindness. It is an idol when it leads us to scream at our kids, curse at slow drivers, and turn to cheap escapist behaviors just to unwind and pull ourselves out of the rush of the day.
Eliminate hurry by fighting back against it.
Hurry won’t die without a fight, so fight hard.
Give yourself ten minutes of margin time between tasks.
Force yourself to be okay without throwing that extra load of laundry in the wash before leaving the house. Leave some toys on the floor. Let go of the desire to be perfect. These are just a few small steps in the direction of freedom.
2. Exchange control for surrender.
Most of us like the feeling of being in control. We want our days to unfold according to our plans.
We lash out when life feels out of control.
Instead of slowing down to embrace teachable moments, we lash out in anger.
We release control when we allow God’s plans to direct the flow of our days. We lay down the need to hold the world together, and we trust the One who holds our lives in his loving hands.
3. Resist a critical spirit.
How often do we focus on all the things our family members do wrong? We mumble over the messes they make. We complain about the dozens of ways they inconvenience us.
May we not become so focused on the tasks before us that we overlook the joy of spending our days with the people God has placed before us. (For more on this topic, join me here: What if, instead of being Angry, You Said This?)
4. Keep counting God’s gifts.
As I place the sleeping boy in his bed and rub my own weary eyes, there is a sweetness in this heavy weariness. There is a sweetness in knowing that living given unto this family isn’t an obligation; instead, it’s a gift.
It is a gift to hold a fussy baby through the night, even when I’m tired.
It is a gift to care for this home and the many needs of those who fill it with laughter.
May we never stop counting the gifts. Perhaps this is the greatest secret to learning how to live for God every day.
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