The Lazarus Experiment - Day 3

Devo - Day 3

Oh how we love to divide up our lives into different categories, activities, attitudes, relationships. We love to organize them, arrange them, store them, like that drawer in your kitchen that holds all the gadgets and spatulas and whisks and knives. But, just like the drawer, things can get a little messy and sometimes dangerous. So we separate it all out again, in the attempt to control and manage. Sometimes we get ambitious and bring in some help - like one ofthose plastic organizers - to bring some sense to it.

And in one of those partitions we place the holy things. This is the Christian part of our lives. This is the church stuff, faith stuff, religious stuff. All tidy and organized in one part of the broad range of things which make up our life.

Except there's a problem.

Everything's spiritual.

Nothing wakes you up to that reality, I suppose, like being dead and then coming back to life. The new vision Lazarus would have enjoyed post-death saw everything - EVERYTHING - as part of the whole, the complete banana, the entire realm of God's activity. After all, if Jesus can reach down into Sheol and pull you out, ain't nowhere he can't reach. And if he can reach it, it's his.

When Paul described our new lives in Christ, he didn't say "Your spiritual life will become like new!" He didn't say, "Your church involvement will have new vitality!" He said, "Look! ALL THINGS NEW!"

Everything's spiritual.

That doesn't mean that sin doesn't exist. In fact, it's spiritual. It's not good, not holy, not advisable, not healthy. But it's still under the umbrella of life. Truth: we like to take sin out of the spiritual slot in our organizational system because that makes it seem less sinful. "This is just a habit. Just something that I have to live with." No. It's spiritual. It's wrong - but it's spiritual.

Take the partitions down. Stop trying in vain to control your life by saying, "This is what is Christian about my life, and this is what is not." Don't say that one activity is more spiritual or Christianly than another. Driving your car? Spiritual. Eating your toast? Spiritual. Making love to your wife? Spiritual. Washing the dishes? Spiritual. Doing something outrageously fun and spontaneously crazy? Spiritual.

Go be spiritual. God is in this.

****

Suggested Scripture For Today: Colossians 3

Suggested Ideas: Remember! Be intentional. Don't just "plan" on doing something, and don't just come to the end of your day and "find" something you did.

1. Offer ten compliments to random people.
2. Give a tip in the restaurant that takes the server's breath away. (Don't forget to leave a Laz Card!)
3. Smile at someone until they smile back.
4. Go to a clean joke site and memorize three jokes. Then make sure you tell them to three people you've never met before.

It's going to be a great day!

Ron


My day 3 response

Day 3
dropped off a card for a lady in the neighborhood who is not a very nice person but I've noticed doesn't have a lot of company. Her husband died about 6 months after mine and her only son lives about 3 hours away with a busy career. She's a bitter mean lady and she talks behind everyone's back (no one is exempt, including her "friends") but loneliness can make people bitter. I hope she takes my card with the love with which it was offered.