A WORD FOR TODAY, February 27, 2026
Peggy Hoppes
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Blessings. Peg
A WORD FOR TODAY, February 27, 2026
“Therefore, since Christ suffered for us in the flesh, arm yourselves also with the same mind; for he who has suffered in the flesh has ceased from sin, that you no longer should live the rest of your time in the flesh for the lusts of men, but for the will of God. For we have spent enough of our past time doing the desire of the Gentiles, and having walked in lewdness, lusts, drunken binges, orgies, carousings, and abominable idolatries. They think it is strange that you don’t run with them into the same excess of riot, speaking evil of you. They will give account to him who is ready to judge the living and the dead. For to this end the Good News was preached even to the dead, that they might be judged indeed as men in the flesh, but live as to God in the spirit. But the end of all things is near. Therefore be of sound mind, self-controlled, and sober in prayer. And above all things be earnest in your love among yourselves, for love covers a multitude of sins. Be hospitable to one another without grumbling. As each has received a gift, employ it in serving one another, as good managers of the grace of God in its various forms. If anyone speaks, let it be as it were the very words of God. If anyone serves, let it be as of the strength which God supplies, that in all things God may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom belong the glory and the dominion forever and ever. Amen.” 1 Peter 4:1-11, WEB
I have to confess that I’ve gone to stores that sell closet systems and coveted having something like that in my home. My closet isn’t out of control, but it sure isn’t as neat and tidy as those you see in the advertisements. One such commercial first showed a messy closet with a voiceover asking, “Does your closet look like this?” Mine is never that bad, but there are certainly things I could remove, like clothes I don’t wear anymore and shoes that don’t fit. I can find what I need. I’m sure I don’t need to spend thousands of dollars on organizational supplies.
I didn’t really like the commercial because it didn’t seem real. The organized closet is amazingly neat. Everything is in its place. Perfect but unbelievable. It was impossible to see what was in the original closet, but there is no way that the new one contained the same items. One rack held three perfectly ironed white long sleeve shirts. Another rack had three perfectly pressed brown pairs of pants. A shelf held a pile of neatly folded t-shirts, four or five of the same color. Every shelf, rack, drawer had clothes that were identical. The total amount of clothes visible could not possibly last even a week in anyone’s life, and the person did not have a very interesting sense of style.
No matter how wonderful the closet system might be, my closet could never look that neat because I have shirts of every shape and color. I have long pants and shorter ones. I also have dresses and gowns, shoes for fancy occasions and sneakers. I have hats and accessories, drawers for socks, undergarments and scarves. I know that I could design a unit that would match my needs, but I don’t think it could ever look like the closet in the commercial.
What does God see when He looks at our lives? Does He see a closet full of neatly folded, matching clothes or a mish mash of stuff? Does He see that some of life is good and some which no longer fits or is out of style? Some of our junk is useless and even unworthy of who we have become in Christ. Some of the junk is old and dirty. Some of the junk has never even been taken out of the bag. But I don’t think God intends for us to all look like that unbelievably organized closet, with a few matching outfits and everything in its place. He knows we are unique, and He treats us as unique individuals with different issues and problems and needs. We just need to trust that He will hear and answer our prayers according to His good and perfect will. His answer may not be what we expect, or what we want. It might not match what we see in other people’s lives. But God has promised His grace to us no matter how out of control our lives seem, and He is always faithful to forgive and transform us so that we’ll be what He created, redeemed, and called us to be.
A WORD FOR TODAY is posted five days a week – Monday through Friday. The devotional on Wednesday takes a look at the scripture from the Revised Common Lectionary for the upcoming Sunday. A WORD FOR TODAY is posted on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/pages/A-Word-for-Today-Devotional/339428839418276.