Daily Dose of the Word of God - Beyond Sunday Ep. 87

Jeff Klein, Pastor of Outreach

Transcript

Jeff Klein  0:07  

Welcome to Elmhurst CRC's Daily Dose of the Word of God. It's Monday, May 5.This is Jeff Klein with your weekly reminder to take your faith into the week, Beyond Sunday.

Jeff Klein  0:19  

I confess that every once in a while, I have to put down my favorite books with my favorite authors and almost shake it off. It's hard to deal with the fact that no matter how much their pages inspire me and how much I agree with their content, the spectacular and radical lives of the likes of Shane Claiborne, Hugh Walter and Francis Chan do not mirror my own. I'm wondering: do I get this Jesus thing at all? I mean, I've got kids, a wife, a house in the suburbs, a mortgage. I like sports, haven't been to India, shop at malls, use my debit card and define fresh vegetables as the ones I buy that don't come pre packaged in plastic tubs. My life is mostly just ordinary. My guess is that yours is too.

Jeff Klein 1:07  

Do those of us living mundane and ordinary lives have a chance to get this Jesus thing at all? Do we have a chance to make a difference in the world in any way, shape or form? As I was pondering this, I attended the memorial service for Helen Blauw at our church. Helen was ordinarily extraordinary. Her legacy is raising 6 kids, being a person of influence in her family, church and community. She was a grandmother to 21 grandchildred and a great grandmother to 36 great grandchildren. Helen knew her savior Jesus and she put it on display by the way that she lived her ordinary, everyday life. Her witness for Jesus rang out and continues to ring out even after death. So maybe you don't have to do anything spectacular. Maybe you don't have to quit your job and become a missionary. Maybe you aren't expected to start a ministry or to run around and do some really radical thing. Maybe following Jesus is about doing ordinary things. As you begin this new week, try to do the ordinary things.Try to live your life like Jesus would live your life and then be ready to give an answer to anyone who asks you about the hope that you have and the reason you are the way you are. Go be ordinary.

Jeff Klein  2:24  

Let's pray. Jesus, help us to understand how our ordinary lives can be a part of your ministry and mission in the world. Teach us how to live our ordinary lives in a way that honors you and that continues to trumpet out the message that you are alive and you have changed us and reshaped us into who you wanted us and designed us to be. In your name Jesus we pray, amen.