October 17 Daily Devotional

Bible Reading

Devotional

All Christians are to seek the will of the Lord for their lives. Our teaching and advice may never stand between the voice of God and the conscience of anyone addressed by God. It is very well possible that God would ask of us an unusual deed or an extraordinary sacrifice. If that happens, we can obey cheerfully. We cannot lose if the service is rendered to Jesus. We cannot go wrong if we obey the will of our heavenly Father.

Although we must be alert to the extraordinary things God may ask of us, each of us must obey God first of all in ordinary things.

God demands of us a very usual and ordinary obedience. Married people must love each other according to God's will. Children must obey their parents because God wants it so. Employees must do their job as if they are doing it for God. Employers must do the will of their Master in heaven.

After dinner, a boy went to his bedroom to struggle with God in prayer. He wanted to know whether or not he should volunteer for service in an overseas mission. Then his mother called him to do the dishes. But he failed to recognize that his mother's voice was the voice of God.

Christ does not want us to reduce him and his will to everything that is ordinary and manageable. At the same time, our Lord doesn't lift us out of ordinary life. He teaches us how to live it. The will of God must be done in the living room and the kitchen, in the playroom and the bedroom, in the classroom and the office, at the job and during lunch break. Without ordinary obedience, we are not prepared for extraordinary tasks, should God require them of us.

Many Christians have been rendered unfit for bigger service because they did not obey God's will with respect to their marriage. When we are young, we must first learn to obey God's voice when he tells us to do our homework. Otherwise we won't hear God when he tells us what we should do about the suffering of the world.

REFLECTIONS

How has God taught you how to live your "ordinary life" in obedience to him?

Andrew Kuyvenhoven's Daylight, a modern devotional classic, was originally published by Paideia Press in 1977. This updated edition is copyright 2009 by Faith Alive Christian Resources. You can order a copy of this revised version of the book directly from the publisher.

A man of many accomplishments, Andrew Kuyvenhoven is probably best known for his contributions to Today (formerly The Family Altar), a widely-used monthly devotional booklet associated with the Back to God Hour. Unless otherwise indicated, Scripture quotations for this updated edition of Daylight are from the Holy Bible: Today's New International Version copyright 2001, 2005 by the International Bible Society.