Order Up!
I was just joking about my wife. I thought it was funny to say that Linda’s life verse was, “Let all things be done decently and in order.” (I Corinthians 14:40). Linda works diligently to maintain order in our home. By contrast, while I like to have things in order, I don’t always work as diligently to follow her orderly example!
Then it hit me, maybe just maybe I missed something with my joking. Yes, I know the apostle Paul was actually addressing the congregation in Corinth about the need for respect in worship gatherings. But it took a friend to illuminate my theological blind spot on the topic of orderliness throughout every ordinary day.
Brian Mavis and I were enjoying lunch together when he surprised me with an insight. “You know, Alan, you were always careful about clear transitions in public worship gatherings. I was actually amazed at how you tried to keep everything in an orderly flow. The songs, the message and even the announcements were often themed for greater impact. So, what if you carefully ordered your day as a worship service?”
Order isn’t accidental - for me it means being more deliberate.
Pausing and praying before conversations and events during the day.
Listening for the prompts of God throughout the day.
Celebrating with gratitude as I wrap up the day.
Deliberately ordering things up is important! Ever since that insight I have been more attentive to the transitions and details of my day. I’m coming to increasingly see that keeping things in order is actually a God honoring thing. After all, “The Lord directs the steps of the godly. He delights in every detail of their lives.” (Psalm 37:23).
It’s a daily challenge for me to be more attentive to little things. Tim Keller nailed me when he wrote: “Disorganization is selfishness, a lack of sacrificial love in little things.” That line prompted these questions for me to slowly deliberate:
How should I be more organized?
What can I do today to begin?
Who might I ask for advice and help?
I’ve got some things to put in better order, not just to please Linda but to please the Lord - how about you? I don’t merely want to rush through life but to move with all “deliberate speed” as a worship experience!
“Therefore, I urge you brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer yourselves as living sacrifices , holy and pleasing to God - which is your spiritual worship.” (Romans 12:1).
Grace and Peace,
Alan Ahlgrim, CSO (Chief Soul Care Officer)