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Reflections

The Pieces of My Life

Part 1

We welcomed the New Year by considering Eugene Peterson’s version of Psalm 5:3:

“Every morning you'll hear me at it again. Every morning I lay out the pieces of my life on your altar and watch for fire to descend” (The Message).

The picture of an Old Testament priest offering daily sacrifices on the altar provides a challenging model for us. For January, let’s talk about the pieces of our lives on which we invite God’s blessing daily in the coming year.

“If Momma Ain’t Happy….”

“If Momma ain’t happy, ain’t nobody happy!” The hidden truth of this humorous saying comes to mind as I ponder my personal life. If I want all my life to be blessed of God, I first have to deal with myself, for when I am “out of sorts,” so is everyone around me.

Sometimes I view my life as one of those sets of stacking dolls. There is the “me” that is citizen and neighbor, church member and friend, and the “me” that is wife and mother. Hopefully the public “me” and the private “me” look the same, just as the dolls do. Underneath all those layers is the “me” that is just “me,” the person I know myself to be.

This final “me” is the first piece of my life I daily lay on the altar, probably the most important part of my prayer life. I have learned that when I have peace with myself and God, the other layers of my life have a better chance of being what they need to be.

And what are the pieces of this very private life to be offered to the Lord? Paul puts it very well in his letter to the Romans: “Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual act of worship” (Romans 12:1, NIV).

According to this verse, I first present my body to the Lord as an act of worship. That elevates the importance of caring for my demanding physical needs. So much time must be given to physical needs, but when I view this part of my life as an “act of worship,” my attitude changes. I glorify God by taking good care of my physical needs and those of my family, because I am offering my physical life to the Lord.

This passage also deals with the mental dimension of my life as being closely related to my spiritual welfare: “Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will” (Romans 12:2, NIV).

Daily my thought life must be placed on the altar of God. No place for self-pity, discouragement, negativism, envy, greed and all the related thoughts that are evidences of a carnal mind. I remember Isaiah’s promise: “You will keep in perfect peace him whose mind is steadfast, because he trusts in you” (Isaiah 26:3, NIV).

So every morning my day begins with offering first of all, myself, to the Lord—physically, mentally and spiritually. I have yet to see smoke or fire, but I never cease to be amazed that in the quietness of my own home, I sense the eternal presence of the Almighty God as He brings peace to my heart and assurance that my prayers are heard.

Peace is followed by joy, the precursor of happiness. And this “momma” needs to be happy, as a lot of other people are depending on me!

Points to Ponder:

We talk about the separate dimensions, but really life is one inseparable unit. The physical affects the mental which affects the spiritual which affects the physical…and we could go on. Ultimately we want the physical and mental dimensions to undergird our spiritual lives.

Do you see your spiritual life affected negatively by either your physical or mental well-being? Is every piece of your personal life on the altar today, waiting for the fire of the Spirit to descend? I pray that it is so.

PEGGY MUSGROVE is a licensed Assemblies of God minister. She is also a speaker, freelance writer, author and prayer group leader. Her latest book, Musings of a Maraschino Cherry was released in 2004.. You can visit her at www.musgroveville.com.

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