What comes to mind when we talk of “spirituality”? Ask a typical Christian what constitutes a spiritual activity, and the responses would include reading the Bible, prayer, attending church or a fellowship group, and so forth.
Next, ask him whether going to the restaurant with his family, having a cup of tea with his colleagues, or running to do an errand would constitute a “spiritual activity.” The answer would most probably be no.
Is it OK to think of some activities as spiritual and others as “not spiritual” but ordinary or secular? What is the danger of thinking this way, if any?
Spirituality is a general way of life. Modern thought is patterned after Greek philosophy, and we tend to think in terms of compartments or categories. (Think of the way we write reports or present data). The Jewish way of thinking is holistic; to them, God was present in every situation of life. There is no separation between sacred and secular (Genesis 25:21–22).
There is no dichotomy between Sunday and the rest of the week. It is not that some parts of our life are connected to God and other parts are not. The worship we begin corporately on Sunday is carried with us for the rest of the week; that is why our bodies are the “temple of the Holy Spirit” (1 Corinthians 6:19). We carry God’s presence with us into everything we do.
What value is there, then, to activities such as studying God’s word, prayer, or fellowship? They are our spiritual fuel.
Just as our bodies need good food and rest to keep us going in all our other activities, so our spirits need the “good food” of the spiritual disciplines. These are God-ordained times that we need to set aside for closer communion with God; they give us the fuel we need for the rest of the day.
Prayer: God, as we think about every part of our lives being spiritual, let it change the conversations we have over coffee. Let it change the way we work, knowing that our work is an offering to you. Help us to do everything today “as unto the Lord.”
Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters. —Colossians 3:23, NIV
ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Paul Asveen serves as the Country Director of Compassion Indonesia.
Read all the One in Spirit devotionals.
3 Comments |Add a comment
Dear Bro,
Your absolutely right! Every christian should think in the same way.
God bless you
You explained the concept of integrated spirituality very well. What gets in the way of people understanding this is the fact that many churches present “religion” as something to be planned for certain days and time slots with a small percentage of the church body directing the activities of the services…what is said, putting words in people’s mouths, and basically getting in the way of genuine spiritual connection. People are fragmented and it can feel safer to compartmentalize one’s life.
I love this. This reminds me of once, when my daughter was very little, she asked if I could arrange a playdate between her and God. 🙂 That made me laugh. But it really kicked off the idea of us spending time together with God in an informal and communal way. She has such a cool relationship with God and I love watching her go to Him.