Day 3 – Set Apart
Scripture focus: Before you were born I set you apart. Jeremiah 1:5 NIV
I don’t want to settle. I want the abundant life. I realize that this may require heart, mind, and soul renovation. Years ago I realized that the outside world constantly bombarded me with messages that attempted to define the good life. Everyone has a definition for abundant living. Did you hear about the lady who spends every day trying to follow each suggestion Oprah offers? Her husband thinks this search for the abundant life has ruined the nice life they had before his wife became an Oprah devotee. I empathize with this woman; I too have wondered what the essence of fulfillment would mean for me in practical terms. Instead of studying Oprah, I decided to research how God defined good, abundant, and valuable. Before we were born, God set us apart – was one of the first verses I stumbled over in my search. I thought about how I throw away paper plates after one use. I toss my everyday dishes in the dishwasher without a thought. I take my cheap ceramic coffee mugs with me and leave them all over the house, in the cars, on the porch, at the beach, in the flower bed I was weeding and even my friend’s house. I have some other dishes that aren’t so accessible. They are set apart. My china, crystal and silver are wrapped in special covering and stored in a special cabinet - tucked away in a room where dogs and boys and even certain adults can’t access them. These are the dishes others sacrificed to buy for us as a wedding gift – they’re special. They weren’t purchased in a bargain basement. They didn’t come with chips and nicks and slight discolorations. They weren’t a good deal, they are precious.
Like fine china, in the grand economy of God, we’re the good stuff and we’re set apart. Evidently, we’re precious to Him. But here’s where the analogy runs aground. We humans like labels. When we suspect we’re in the presence of fine china, we turn it over and read its label (discreetly, of course). Discerning folks want to know – who made it, is it imported? This isn’t how it is in the kingdom of God. He’s the chief restorer of damaged goods. This is good news. As we continue in our devotions this month, we’ll consider why God’s economy is much more hopeful, healing and encouraging than our own.
In a well-furnished kitchen there are not only crystal goblets and silver platters, but waste cans and compost buckets—some containers used to serve fine meals, others to take out the garbage. Become the kind of container God can use to present any and every kind of gift to his guests for their blessing. 2 Timothy 2:20-21 The Message
Lord, I realize we love the good stuff – the sparkling goblets, fine china and weighty silver. But where would we be without the useful kitchen tools – the waste can, Tupperware, and a well-worn cookie sheet? Father, help us figure out what it means from your perspective to be set apart. Amen
Recommended reading: Genesis 8-11
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