What's In Your Closet Part 4 of 6

Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable - if anything is excellent or praiseworthy - think about such things. Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me - put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you. Philippians 4:8-9 (NKJV)

Ahhh.don't sweat the small stuff. Can you imagine if God would not have created all the different colors of hair, eyes and skin? Think of the beautiful colors of fall; the little black dots on a ladybug. Just pause to consider anatomy - the mysteries and incredible functions of our bodies. Everywhere we look there are details that separate, magnify, and literally give us life.

Our fourth letter in the acrostic CLOSET is S - Sweating the small stuff. After renovating our cluttered closets and obeying some simple rules, we are able to work on the details. Putting shoes in a clear box, hanging scarves together in the same area, organizing your clothes by color, or deciding today what you will wear tomorrow. These details; this principle of sweating the small stuff, is not so hard when we have our closets free of clutter. Do you add a necklace and earrings to your outfit or keep a tube of lipstick in your purse? Did you know wearing a pair of heels instead of flats can increase your height and decrease the appearance of your weight by five pounds? When we pay attention to the details we look good. And, when we look good we feel good.

The spiritual application of this principle - sweating the small stuff - does the same for us in our walk with God. All throughout the Bible there are examples of how details added to the message. The creation story, the life of Noah and the intricate planning of the ark, Proverbs - the book of wisdom packed with truth for living are a few examples. How many of us would not be able to put a sinful past at the feet of Jesus without reading the story of the thief Jesus forgave while both were dying on the cross? What if God did not place blessing and joy in our lives when we obey? It is impossible to imagine how different our lives would be without the many details. God chose to sweat the small stuff in order for us to live more abundant lives!

Once our closets are clean, we are ready to take it to another level and add some extra details. Our verse tells us to think about whatever is true, noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable; excellent or praiseworthy. After we have taken care of sin in our lives and choose to obey these simple thoughts, we can take our walk with God to a new level. Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me - put it into practice. What is the reward? The God of peace will be with you. There is no greater feeling than the peace of God!

Heavenly Father, help us to maintain a life free from sin and give us wisdom in order for our lives to be praiseworthy. We desire to learn from you and practice what you have taught us.

Janet Stutzman