SEWER SLUDGE - REJOICE! - REALLY?

I had such great plans.  I was going to finish up a few things and then relax and spend some time with Carol after having been gone all week.  But Sunday afternoon MY PLANS suddenly changed.  We discovered water backing up into our laundry tub (that is never a good thing). So I proceeded to try plunging, and pouring a gallon of highly toxic drain cleaner into the drain in hopes of that I could avoid a service call. Nothing worked so much for MY PLANS.  My next thought was perhaps I take off the cleanout cap and see what is going on and do something about it myself.  At this point however the laundry tub (full of highly toxic drain cleaner and sewer water) was higher than the cleanout.  So I took a bucket and slowly emptied the laundry tub.  I moved the washer and dryer to get to the cleanout cap.  Then I got everything in place so that I could slowly drain the remaining liquid from the pipes into some containers I had ready.  I picked up the channel locks turned the cap slowly and it broke giving way suddenly and pouring sewer and drain cleaner out all over.  Not exactly what I had planned.  Several attempts to get something down the drain and a trip to Home Depot left me with no alternative.  I had already invested several hours and nothing had worked.  So I made the call they came they took 15 minutes to snake out the drain and went away with my check.  Not what I had planned. Let’s look at these verses together. 
 

1 Thessalonians 5:16-19 (HCS) Rejoice always!  Pray constantly. Give thanks in everything, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.  Don’t stifle the Spirit.

 

I do not remember the exact thoughts that went through my mind when the cap broke and sewer water spewed out at me.  I do not think I was REJOICING.  I had been praying and asking for help.  But now there was nothing left to do I had to call for help. The exhortation here in these verses is to Give THANKS to God not matter what.  WHY?  This is not a pleasant or good thing that happened.  The challenge is not to THANK God that it was not any worse than it was.  The command is to Give thanks in everything, for this is God’s will for you.  I don’t know why this was part of God’s plan for me Sunday - but it was.  I could whine and complain and be in a bad mood or I could accept what had happened and continue to honor the Lord knowing that NOTHING ever catches Him by surprise.  As I was thinking about these verses I came across this comment:  “These verses are not just good advice; they are God’s will for every Christian.” Bible Knowledge Commentary  

So even if I am covered with sewer sludge and my plans are ruined - I can thank God and continue to Rejoice in Him.   WHY?  Because it is God’s Will for me.  I believe it because I TRUST God and His WORD.  So even if it means MY plans are shattered I will thank God for what He is doing and bringing into my life.

 

PRAYER:  Lord God, thank you that You never make mistakes.  Thank You for the hard things in life which remind me that YOUR plan is the one that matters.  Lord, help me to live with a heart full of Thanksgiving and PRAISE. 

TOILET BOWL THEOLOGY

What does a toilet brush have to do with theology?  What could a group of missionaries from all over the world learn from a tool used to clean toilets?  Carol and I had the privilege of being part of conference for missionaries last week.  We were humbled to be with so many of the Lord’s precious servants - many of whom are serving in very hard and sometimes dangerous places. 

As I spoke I started out telling them the story of a young woman from our church in Detroit who had served the Lord at a Christian camp one summer.  She was given the nasty job of cleaning the bathrooms everyday after 100 + young campers had made them filthy.  She was getting down about it and starting to grumble in her heart when the thought came to her that she could actually do this job in a way that honored and glorified God - or she could have a bad attitude and complain.  She decide that each day she would raise that toilet brush towards heaven and dedicate the job ahead of her to the Lord then proceeded to the job well seeking to honor God.  That reminds of these verses. 

Colossians 3:17 (ESV) And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.

 Colossians 3:17 (NLT) And whatever you do or say, do it as a representative of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through him to God the Father.

“In the Bible, a person's name represents that person. To do something in the name of the Lord Jesus is to act in a way that is in harmony with His identity and under His authority.” NLT Notes

The Christian Life and Ministry are Hard - many times we have to do things that we do NOT LIKE.  So I have a toilet brush clearly visible in my office to remind me of that TRUTH.  However, it is also there to remind me that I can choose to do the hard things, the difficult things, in my walk with Jesus or in my service for Him in a way that HONORS Him.  If I choose to do that then the toilet brush becomes my symbol of a hard thing done in a way that brings glory to God.  When I do that an amazing thing happens.  I discover that even those hard and distasteful things that I have to do can bring joy and satisfaction.  WHY?  Because I’m doing them for Jesus - I am more concerned with honoring Him with my thoughts, words, and conduct than I am about how awful the task may be.  Part of that process is GIVING THANKS to God for the privilege and opportunity to glorify Him through those difficult things.  What are you facing today that is Hard or unpleasant?  What things are you facing that you just don’t want to go through?  If you will take time to present that task to the Lord Jesus with Thanksgiving you will discover that no matter how hard the Christian life is - no matter how difficult serving the Lord Jesus can be - IT IS WORTH IT!  And that is TOILET Brush theology.

PRAYER:   Lord Jesus I don’t like this task - but I want to do it for You to Honor You.  Thank You for this opportunity which You have given me to do this.   Please help me - give Your strength - Your grace to keep on going.