all things

To do all things in the name of Jesus–to do all things as if I were doing them for Jesus alone—yes, this would make all the difference.

If every activity were done for Jesus instead of for ourselves, it would cause all of our activities to become holy acts of worship. Rather than selfish, they become selfless. With this view, all things become spiritual, no matter if they are big or small, glorious or menial.

The line between Christian activity and a secular activity no longer exists; because a follower of Jesus knows that he does nothing for (to please) himself or others. Rather, he does all things for Jesus, as if every act is done for Jesus. To Him belong all things, great or small—things menial and simple as well as heroic and complex. It is this kind of thinking that allows us to follow in His footsteps and frees us to be a servant of all.

To see every task or activity as an offering of worship to Jesus, the most humble and dreaded task can become holy ground. The scrubbing of pots and pans, the changing of a diaper, picking up trash becomes as spiritual as leading a worship service, preaching a sermon, or writing a book about Jesus.

Coaching a baseball team is not more spiritual than leading a Bible study because the focus shifts from the activity itself to the reason for doing it and to the one it is done for in the first place.

To live this way, it means to change the way we think—about everything. All things become different. Old ways become new ways. Now, the new wine can be poured into new wineskins.

Worthless things become valuable. The excluded, the outcasts become included—they become family. The unlovable become loved. The guilty become innocent. The imprisoned are set free and the burdened are relieved of their heavy load.

Our view of all of creation becomes eternal. CS Lewis wrote that every person you meet is an eternal being. They will live forever, with the only difference being where they spend it.