"Spiritual" Activities

"The Lord said to Moses, 'Speak to the entire assembly of Israel and say to them: Be holy because I, the Lord your God, am holy."
-Leviticus 19:1-2

Have you noticed how some activities seem more spiritual, more sacred than others? Singing hymns, teaching church school, or preparing a care basket for a sick friend - all of these seem exalted.

But what about when you drive to the gas station for a fill-up? Or when you count up coupons to the clerk at the supermarket? Or while you're waiting for the salesperson to wrap what you've bought?

We do it all the time - separate "religious" activities into one group and "regular" into another. But Leviticus 19 addresses that problem. In one verse Moses says, "Do not steal," yet the next verse states, "Do not go over your vineyard a second time or pick up the grapes that have fallen" (Leviticus 19:10). Again he says in one verse, "Love your neighbor as yourself" and the verse following, "Do not mate different kinds of animals" (Leviticus 19:18-19).

Why didn't Moses group together all the spiritual activities and leave those nonessential things for another chapter? It's no mistake that God spoke these commands in one breath, mingling "spiritual" and "nonspiritual." In God's eyes, all of life's activities are sacred.

God wants you to understand that all life is spiritual; all of life's activities come under His domain. How you "tend your vineyard" and how you talk to the shop assistant. How you "mate animals" and how you treat your neighbor. Everything you do can be a way of worshiping the Lord. Remember that, the next time you wash dishes.

Dear God, I want to view everything I do as a way of worshiping You. Remind me that every activity is spiritual in Your eyes, no matter how small or insignificant it seems.

Taken from Diamonds in the Dust. Copyright © 1993 by Joni Eareckson Tada. Used by permission. Zondervan Publishing House, Grand Rapids, Michigan 49530