Monday, January 18, 2021

“From him and through him and to him are all things. To him be the glory forever.” —Romans 11:36

My days tend to go much better when I take a little time to write down what I have to do and think about when I’m going to do it. Breaking responsibilities down into manageable chunks and being honest about how much time those chunks will take is a helpful practice that makes it more likely that I’ll (at least somewhat) successfully meet those responsibilities.

Following Jesus faithfully requires a similar approach. Being a disciple is a real thing, made up of real behaviors and actions and thoughts and habits and words. The rubber has to actually hit the road. Abstract Christian-sounding platitudes don’t get the job done.

And yet, at least for me, there’s also the danger that breaking discipleship down into “manageable chunks” makes me lose sight of the fact that this is, ultimately, not about me and my words and actions and behaviors. I mean, it is about those things in part—God cares about how I live.

But this world is not about me. It’s about God.

In today’s verse from the apostle Paul’s letter to Christians in Rome, he encapsulates this so powerfully. As theology professor James Edwards writes, God “is at once creator, sustainer, and goal of creation.” He alone is to be worshiped and glorified. The amazing thing, for us, is that this “creator, sustainer, and goal of creation” gives us a role to play in his creative work.

So may our rubber-hits-the-road lives honor and glorify the One who has given us life in the first place.