This Is for You, Dear Jesus

Phoebe Palmer, an evangelist in the 19th century, believed that the loving care she gave her family was as ordained of God as her teaching ministries. Because God wanted her to be a housewife, she did her work joyfully often singing as she worked, "Every work I do below, I do it to the Lord."

Even the routine and mundane tasks were important. The Lord cared as much about the way she kept her home, she believed, as He cared about the way she studied the Bible.
The Lord had written on her heart, "He that careth not for his own household is worse than an infidel,"* and she was careful not to neglect her household in any way. Yet she resolved that household duties would not totally absorb her.

After she had completely consecrated herself to the Lord, God gave her a sense of discernment about how to balance her duties. She was then able to omit some of the troublesome jobs, and do the others with a joyful heart because she knew the Lord wanted her to do them.

Keeping our homes can be our service to God. In our ladies' Bible study we discussed Jesus' statement in John 5:30: "I seek not to please myself but him who sent me." He lived for God's pleasure; not His own. Real fulfillment comes when we see serving our family as our service to God.

Karla remarked, "So I guess I should just look at the dirty bathtub and wet towels lying around and say, 'This cleaning is my service to You, Lord.'"

God notices when we consciously say about any menial task, "This is for You, dear Jesus."

Dear Jesus, let all I do express my love for You.

"You are to rejoice before the Lord your God in everything you put your hand to" (Deuteronomy 12:18).

1 Tim. 5:8 NLT: But those who won't care for their relatives, especially those in their own household, have denied the true faith. Such people are worse than unbelievers.