In an effort to stay healthy, I try to exercise regularly. Like many people, I can find any number of excuses to not wake up early enough to get to the gym. It is amazing how easily such an excuse can start out as just one day, and quickly turn into several days or even weeks of procrastination. After a week or two of neglect, one can tell a big difference physically. I have quickly learned that you cannot live off of last week’s or even yesterday’s activity.

Similarly, we cannot spiritually live off yesterday’s blessings in Christian service. We can certainly look back with fondness on what God has done for us in days past and cherish those precious memories. However, we need God’s blessing’s today. We also need to understand that we cannot rest on yesterday’s work. Proverbs 29:18 states, “Where there is no vision, the people perish: but he that keepeth the law, happy is he.” What is your vision today? Are you living off of past deeds, or are you faithfully serving God today?

In the disciples' prayer, Jesus taught us to pray, “Give us day by day our daily bread. (Luke 11:3)” We need God’s grace today. We cannot live off of yesterday’s blessings. I am thankful that God gives us the grace that we need to survive the daily grind of life. David writes in Psalm 68:19, “Blessed be the Lord, who daily loadeth us with benefits, even the God of our salvation.” We are eternally saved by God’s grace and mercy, and regularly sustained by the same power. As Christians we are greatly blessed because our Heavenly Father meets our daily needs. This verse literally means that God heaps grace upon us daily. For this we should be thankful.

In view of God’s daily grace towards us, let us examine what we owe him. First, we owe him our bodies. Romans 12:1 states, “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.” In Old Testament times, the people of Israel brought dead sacrifices to the altar to remind them of their sins. These sacrifices also foreshadowed the future sacrifice of the Messiah, Jesus Christ. Now, we enjoy the benefits of the one sufficient sacrifice made by our Redeemer. In light of Jesus' sacrificial death on the cross, the Apostle Paul instructs us to present our bodies a living sacrifice unto God. This simply means that we are to direct our energies to serving our Lord Jesus Christ. Does this occur only on special holidays or one day a week? No, it ought to be a daily, moment-by-moment effort. Paul instructs the Ephesian church to, “Walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called (Ephesians 4:1).” One engages in a vocation or job regularly. Yesterday’s living sacrifice is not sufficient for today.

We also owe God our minds. In Romans 12:2 the Apostle Paul writes, “And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.” There is a battle for the mind going on in this world. We have distractions from all directions vying for a portion of our minds. Various media and personal influences are all laboring to occupy our minds. Paul states that we are not to be conformed to the world around us. We are not to fashion our minds to worldly thoughts and philosophies. We are to be transformed--changed--by the renewing of our minds. We are to give over our minds to God’s word and commandments. Only when we allow Biblically sound truths to dominate our minds, will we be in a condition to make God-honoring decisions in other areas of life. Your choices in life are reflections of what has the most influence in your mind. A worldly mind leads to worldly choices and behaviors, and a spiritual mind leads to God-honoring decisions. Are you filling your mind with Godly thoughts and knowledge of His word? This ought to be our daily goal as we strive to better serve our Lord.

In terms of physical exercise, I have benefited in many ways. Those good habits, though difficult to establish, have now become a part of my everyday life; on days when I am unable to exercise, I find I am restless, yet less energetic. That is one by-product of regular exercise--increased energy! You feel better about yourself and benefit from newfound strength. It is always exciting to test and expand your physical limits. Similarly, these benefits can be enjoyed in the spiritual sense. We need to cultivate a daily regimen of prayer and study of God's word. As you grow in knowledge of the Bible and increase your communication with God, you gain spiritual strength and discernment. So, how are you exercising spiritually? Are you trying to live off yesterday's service? If you are, then you are not functioning at full strength in Christian service. God has blessed us with a heavenly home as His children. He sustains us daily and protects us with His might. Let us build our spiritual muscles today and glorify God with all our might!

Monday, March 20, 2006

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Michael Green, Jr. is pastor of Palm Chapel Primitive Baptist Church (www.palmchapel.org) in Crestview, FL. Palm Chapel meets every Sunday at 10:30am and Wednesday at 6:00pm. Pastor Green can be contacted at (850) 689-3383 or by email at pastor@palmchapel.org. Pastor Green warmly invites you to come and worship at Palm Chapel Primitive Baptist Church

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