Transform Your Mundane // Natalie & Vera

"Every good work, every good deed, every good thought, every good word, everything I have, it all comes from God and goes back to God for His glory and kingdom so that others might know who He is and decide, 'I'm going to follow this Jesus too.'" 

— Vera Schmitz

Today's Episode: Natalie and Vera dive into the profound impact of living every moment for Jesus. They explore how even the most mundane task can be transformed into an act of worship and gratitude. Through personal stories and reflections, they discuss the challenges and joys of embodying faith in daily life, emphasizing the power of the Holy Spirit in guiding and empowering believers. Join them as they share insights on how to integrate faith into every word and deed.

This month's memory verse: “And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.” — Colossians 3:17

Want to dive deeper into this month's verse? Join Natalie in the her monthly Bible Study.

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Links from today's show: 

• Check out this 4 step Bible study: The EASY Bible Study Method from Coffee and Bible Time.
• See the Bible as one big story with The One Story Bible, by Greg Gilbert (get it for 30% off!).
• Check out Dwell's BIGGEST SALE OF THE YEAR from 8/18-8/29. 

Transcript

SPEAKER_00: 0:00

Hey, welcome back. It's Natalie Abbott. I'm here with my sister Vera and we are talking about doing all things for Jesus today. I'm so excited about this verse and I hope that it's something that is going to just kind of, oh gosh, I mean like, there's part of me that's like, I hope this is something that is going to change everything, but then I'm also like, wow, that's going to be a lot to go through. Read it to me, Matt. Or I can. Yeah, either way. Either way. You go. Colossians 317. This is straight out of memory here. Okay. I can see the design in my mind. And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God. No, not God. Giving. You got it. You got it. You got it. You got it. Giving thanks to the Father. God the Father. Giving thanks to God the Father through him. Okay. I got a little tripped up there. That's all right. You got the essence of it. So basically everything that we do should all be done in the name of Jesus. So this verse isn't at all intimidating. Just not at all. Not everything you do, but also everything you say. Well, yeah. And also knowing Jesus. Jesus was like, it's not even like what you say. It's like the heart behind it. So it's like basically, and also what you think. All of it. Pretty much. So that's it. That's all we had to say, really. Whatever you do, do it all in the name of Jesus. Yep. So that's all we had to say. And go and do likewise. That's the end of our show. No. Okay. So let's kind of... screw down on this verse because I do think that a verse like this has a tendency to feel hard and overwhelming. And I mean, that's part of the reason that we do so much teaching on each of our verses is because what we want to do is we want to help you understand all of the verses that we memorize in light of the gospel. So this is actually good news. This isn't like And if you don't do all of these things, like the next verse isn't, and if you don't do all of these things, there's punishment. You will be punished. There's grace for us in this. And so there's beauty in this because when we live lives that look like this, like, isn't this the kind of life that you actually wanna live? It is. And even just the second part, giving thanks to God the Father through him, through him. Like, and I think when we, set out to live lives that bring honor and glory and praise to Jesus. It isn't by our own strength. That's the whole point. Sometimes we read these verses and we forget that the Holy Spirit, i.e. God, lives in us. And anything that we do or are asked to do, we only do by the power of the Holy Spirit. So every good work, every good deed, every good thought, every good word, everything I have, it all comes from God and goes back to God for his glory and kingdom so that others might know who he is and decide, I'm gonna follow this Jesus too. That is the heartbeat behind what Paul is saying is like, this is what we get to do. This is what we get to do, giving thanks to God that everything we do and say can be for Jesus. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. And I think that idea of doing it all in his name, it basically means as his representative, under his authority, like how he would want us to do it, conform to who he is. And that's exactly what Jesus is doing in us. That he is the one who is working about this transformation in our lives that allows us even to live this way at all. Like it's not in our own strength. It's not in our own power. Like you were saying, it's by the power of the Holy Spirit who is alive and active and at work in us, giving us the desire and equipping us to be able to even consider what it would look like to be generous or to be kind or to have more patience or whatever it is that we are naturally inclined to not do and to do it all in his power and with thanks. Mm-hmm. It's pretty crazy. But okay, so I have a question for you then. This whole section of scripture is like this culmination of a bunch of like, basically the beginning of Colossians 3 verses 1 through 16 are like all these things that are being said about how we should live and how we should not live. And this here is like the fullness of it. It's the like overarching verse. And So if we were going to talk about like the things that maybe we see in our lives that reflect this verse and the things like how we see in that passage that don't reflect this verse, I'm going to put you on the spot. Like it talks about putting to death the sinful patterns that we have of our old self and like that we can do that. So again, this is this idea of like we can do these things. We can have victory here. over sin in our lives. And so, like, is there something maybe even in the last year that you've seen where it's like, okay, I have experienced some real victory over a particular part of my life that it's just like, you know, those old sins are always fighting to creep back into our lives and to war against us. That's an on-the-spot question there. Dang. Hardcore. That's hardcore.

UNKNOWN: 6:01

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00: 6:01

This is one that I'm still working on, but I do feel some sense of victory. When I was younger and newly married, I felt like I needed, if I was arguing with my husband, we're like have different opinions on something or I'm offended. It's like I had to fight tooth and nail to the death. And he'd probably say I'm still that way. But I think because I'm in the inner workings of my own mind, I, especially in the last year, I feel myself being more patient instead of just saying what comes to the front of my mind immediately. It's like, I'm just going to be quiet here because I don't think that this is necessarily right. Even though, even if the statement is true, it's like probably maybe not the time to say this. Just having a little bit more wisdom and And when I say things, how I say things, and then sometimes the Lord will convict me in that moment to say, you're not going to say that at all. Oof. So I think, you know, he is kind to show me myself sometimes and has led me to understand that it's better to be quiet at times and to wait. and have better discernment as time goes on. So that's one thing that I would say in the last year I have felt the Lord working on me is to not be so quick to say the thing. What did they say? Holt your tongue? to hold one's tongue? Yes. Sometimes I feel like I have to bite my tongue. When was the last time you saw someone fall in love with God's work for the first time? These days, it's easy to scroll through our phones and harder to slow down with scripture, especially for new believers. That's why the easy Bible study method from Coffee and Bible Time is such a gift. Guys, I love the ladies over there at Coffee and Bible Time, and they've developed a simple four-step framework to help women open their Bible and actually So whether you're walking alongside someone who's new to the faith, or you're just looking for a fresh way to engage God's word for yourself, this is a tool worth using. Spiritual growth doesn't just happen. It takes showing up and slowing down and even inviting others to do the same. The easy method helps make this possible. You can grab a copy of the easy Bible study method from Moody Publishers. There's a link in our show notes. And don't just read it alone. Open your Bible, invite a friend, and let the word of God do what it does best. Transform your life. I wanna tell you about a new Bible that's out from Crossway. It's called the One Story Bible, and it shows how the entire Bible is one story about God's plan to redeem the world through Jesus. It has conversational commentary from Pastor Greg Gilbert woven throughout the entire ESV text. This Bible helps readers, whether new or seasoned, see how every part of scripture fits together and points to Jesus. I wonder if there's a person in your life who needs a Bible like this. We'll be right back. Yeah, it's funny that you should say that because I feel like I have a tendency to feel like there are safe places to gossip. And it's an ugly thing. And I could try to make it sound better and be like, oh no, it's just I'm venting or whatever. Put some lipstick on the pig about it. It's a pig. It's a pig. And so when you said it, I feel like I have to hold my tongue. I was like, oh, that's probably a need to say the thing that God has been really convicting me of. And it is really hard to do. It's really hard to do. It's not like I'm talking bad about everybody all the time. It's just like I might be struggling with a particular relationship and I just want to say how I feel about it and not in like a, and not like, it's not like I'm telling her, it's like I'm talking to my husband, you know? So like, but it's still not okay. I just feel that conviction of like, or, you know, somebody who's I'm really close with where it's just like, I just need to like check my perspective and recognize that it's a, that's a reflection of actually where my heart is with this person. If I feel comfortable enough to say what I'm saying, talking about them, or the way that they make me feel or what they said, a lot of times I think that is a reflection of me maybe justifying my own self and my sin and my bitterness or frustration or whatever it is. And to actually hold my tongue is a way of sort of highlighting to me the fact that my heart's not in a good place. You know what I mean? So, you know, sometimes you read the verses about like having self-discipline and I think that that is one of the hardest, like the tongue is the like, oh man, we can say some things that just are so hurtful. And even if they're not that, like what you're describing, it's like, you're not, it's not quote unquote that hurtful. You feel bad afterwards.

SPEAKER_01: 12:17

It's

SPEAKER_00: 12:17

actually, you know, it's just like you feel that in your spirit. And that is not what God wants. But like self-discipline, you know, I used to only ever apply it to like doing all the right things that are like, you know, check off your list stuff. But to think about- I did my quiet time. I did my, yeah. Yeah. Wrote my prayer journal. But that old tongue, man. It'll get you. It'll get you. Yeah, so I feel that. I do feel that. And yet, so the reverse is also true, like that we have, you know, we have this ability then to put on all of these things. Colossians talks about putting on love because it covers a multitude of sins. So it's like, how have you seen... victory, how have you seen the Holy Spirit work in you and bear fruit in your life that you're like, wow, that's there. I wasn't there before. You know, like I have this newfound affection for somebody or I have, you know, that is an unlikely thing or I have this patience for something that is unusual in my life. So like if you were going to say this is one area of godly living where I actually feel like I am able to point to that and be like, that is the work of God in my life. And I'm actually doing it in the name of Jesus through his power and for his glory. Like, is there a part of your life that you could be like, okay, maybe that's the little highlight moment. You know, if I were going to have the highlight reel, what would it be? I think mothering, like the mundane parts of mothering recently. Yeah. in the last probably couple of years, I would say. I think when you first become a mom, it's like such a slap in the face. It's like, you're like, I'm still cleaning up and it's 8.30. Like I've been going all day long, you know? And just this morning, I was just, you know, we're potty training our two-year-old and, you know, so you're literally, you know, cleaning up poops multiple times a day and washing out underwear and, you know, all the joys of that. But I really do count it as joy when I didn't before. I actually woke up this morning thinking about, oh, I just can't wait to give him his M&Ms when he does a poops. I just feel like God has shifted my heart. There are still days when I for sure am tallying up all the things I did for everybody today. But in the small things of not being so irritated when I get asked for the 778th snack for the day or whatever where it's just like you know what this is what I'm doing this is what I'm doing I am patching today was I am cleaning up poops and I am patching holes on swimming pools like that's what I did today and it was it actually brought me joy to be doing those things and truly that is a work of the Lord because it was pretty hard there at the beginning Okay, I need some practical advice on this work of the Lord that is patching a swimming pool. Like, are you talking duct tape here? Like, what does that situation look like? Just as an aside. Yeah, as an aside, this pool was gifted to my youngest for his second birthday from our mom. And my husband was so generous as to say, yes, we can blow that up and ruin the grass, which is wonderful. But it got a hole in it because it was like... So funny. It was like, my kids are, they ride their bike over the top of the pool. It was deflated. And I was like, that's going to put a hole in it. Please don't ride your bikes. I'm like, why? I'm like, it's going to put a hole in it. Sure enough, they had put a hole in it. So then I was like, so proud of myself. I'm like, I know where that, because these pools from, you know, Aldi or wherever, they come with a patch in them because they know it's going to rip. I always throw those patches away. I kept the patch. But I did not find the patch. I can't find it anywhere. It's somewhere. Shoot. So I did. I tried to use Gorilla Duct Tape on it because my sister-in-law was like, that'll work. And let me tell you, it did not work. And I was sweating so bad. It's like 90,000 degrees outside here in mid-Missouri with humidity through the roof. And I probably spent 40 minutes out there just sweating it out, just trying to fix the walls. So we slip and slide it instead. Oh my gosh. I love that so much. There you go. All right. All right. Well, there you go. That's joy. Joy. Like what a beautiful thing to have more joy. Yes. That's, yeah. I hear that. I hear that. That's beautiful. Okay, Vera. Well, I know we only have like five minutes left and like I'm sitting here thinking and I'm like, I don't know that I can think of something that I'm like, yes, I've seen so much victory in this year or the last two years that I'm like, how have I grown in holiness? I don't know, Vera. I know something for you. You do? Yes. I have watched you start using your body more, going and like exercising. That's true. I have done that. And that is a huge victory. That is a victory. For anybody who knows Natalie, she'd be like, I did yoga for seven and a half minutes this morning. And we're like, that doesn't count. I mean, it's good. That's great. But maybe... Maybe you want to try something else too. Maybe more than seven minutes. That's true. That has been actually a really, that has been a growth in my life of just like, I think I had a resistance to even wanting to work out. I don't know why. What is the matter with me? I don't know. But I do think that, you know, we are spirit, mind and body and it's like, What a cool thing that God is, you know, like I know it's given you so much energy and it's allowed you to grow, you know, in friendship with our sister because that's who you work out with, which I'm so jealous. But, you know, I think that that is a victory. That is a victory. Thanks, Vera. You're welcome. I guess that is a new, like a new... you know, I guess like an actual putting on of a new real self, like my physical self. No, that's cool. Yeah, no, so I just think though, like even in that though, that it might feel like, in my mind, it feels like the least of the things that you could maybe be excited about in some ways. It's like, why would I be excited about that? But the reality is like in all things, like this verse is encouraging us that in the big things, in the small things, in our word or in our deed, in whatever we do, like all possible parts of our lives that we would steward those things, our physical bodies, our spiritual bodies, our emotional bodies, our relational selves, all of the things that we would do them all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him. It all matters. It all matters. And I think that's, That's the thing I think that is so encouraging to me about a verse like this is that it elevates the things that seem like they're mundane or minuscule, like cleaning the poopies off of the floor. And it also takes those massive things and it puts them too in their proper place, like that all of it, every single part of everything that we do, big or small, it all matters to Christ. It all is a testimony to him. It is all for his glory and as a way of us to like actually give thanks to the father and to honor him in everything. So. It's so good. Yeah, it's a great verse. I'm excited about it. And thanks for joining me today, Vera. This was really good. It was great. All right. Well, we'll be back again with you next month and I hope you guys are enjoying your summers. Enjoy it, man. These are the days. Yep. Hope you guys have your own pools to patch in your own yards where you're rooting your grass. That is a vision. It is. All right. See you later, V. See ya. Don't hit fast forward because you're going to want to hear this. And I am just barely containing my excitement. We have our warehouse sale, which is our biggest sale of the year. This August, the 18th through the 29th, we do it once a year and we sell all kinds of stuff. We open up the vaults and we have old verses. We have key tags, tattoos, and verse cards that you can buy separately, which we never sell. We have massively discounted verse kits for gifts that you can stock up on for retreats, your Bible study, your church, big group. We'll see you next time.