Spiritual or Secular
Question: If I had you draw two boxes and label one box as "spiritual" and the other as "secular," would it be difficult for you to put the things or activities in your life into one of the two boxes? What things would you put into the spiritual box versus the secular one? Maybe you would put things related to church and God into the spiritual box and things related to work and the world into the secular one. Makes sense. It's natural for us to categorize things between the physical and the spiritual or the temporal and the eternal. But what if I asked you to make a third box and label it "Jesus." Now what things in the other two boxes should also go into this third box?
Many of us live split lives. We put church, prayer, Bible study, and fellowship into a spiritual box. Then we put our jobs, hobbies, money, entertainment, and chores into a secular box. But the divide between these two things is actually foreign to the Bible. The Bible does not actually draw a hard line between spiritual and secular life. The ancient Hebrew language didn't even have a word for "spiritual" because every facet of life was understood to be spiritual or unto God.
Colossians 1:16 says, "For in him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through him and for him." This verse teaches us that:
All things were created by Jesus, both in heaven and on earth.
Everything was created through Him, emphasizing His command over it all.
All things exist for Him and His purpose. This includes church, bible study, prayer, missions, etc. But it also includes people, nations, systems and institutions like education, entertainment, politics, etc.
That means the spiritual world includes activities like praying, serving, worship, and witnessing as well as working, walking the dog, eating dinner, playing games, and going on vacation.
Christ is supreme over it all and God's hand is over all things in our lives.
There is no split! All of life is sacred. Colossians 3:23-24 says that "whatever work you do, you should do it with your whole heart as serving God, not just people." All creation belongs to God and every action can be done for His glory. That means there are no ordinary spaces or activities. In I Corinthians 10:31, the Apostle Paul writes that "whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God." When we split or compartmentalize what we think are spiritual and non-spiritual things, we actually miss the beauty of God's presence in our daily lives and routines. Praise God for His lordship and presence with us in every aspect of life! Praise God everything is God's thing! Praise God that everything in our lives can go into the Jesus box!
Pastor Darren
