Presentation

On November 22, 2019   /   Word of the Day   /   Leave a comment

Romans 12: 1

Therefore, I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship.

Yoga can be a very contemplative time and yesterday was one of those quiet, pensive times. Thoughts about my body as a temple came to me and that is what I pondered the rest of the day which brought this verse to mind.

I have heard this verse preached and I have read it, both many times. Most of the time when anyone referenced this verse the language took on the tone of the law. I, too, want to say present your bodies to God as an act of your spiritual devotion but I have never preached on this verse for the very reason that it almost always comes out sounding like a pronouncement of law. As I enjoyed my yoga class, I felt the shift within me as relates to this verse.

After class, the instructor and I had a short conversation. In those moments she remarked how we are taking our health seriously and proactively engaging in those things which support health and wellness. I find myself thinking that first, we actually have health and fitness goals. Possibly many people do not. Then, we are pursuing those goals through diet and exercise, as well as quiet meditation time in which we can receive Father’s instruction. There is a nuance about devoting our bodies to God which does not cause us to succumb to legal mandates but rather becomes a cooperative with God. It almost becomes a praise exercise but definitely a time in His presence.

As we present our bodies to God, it is an offering. Therefore, the presentation is not all about what we have done, are doing, or need to do right. This verse doesn’t have to mean, EAT RIGHT, EXERCISE, etc. It can, instead, be a time of thanksgiving and submission when He can teach us and lead us into the things which are good for us.

Prayer: Father, I thank you for the magnificent work of art and mechanics that our bodies are. I thank you that you are not only the creator of this miracle of life but also the healer. You created this wonderful machine and know how to keep it functioning and how to repair it. Lead us, Dear One, in how to get the maximum enjoyment and function out of our bodies. We present ourselves to you, Lord, as an offering. Please receive our offering and anoint it with your grace and wisdom. We thank you for it in Jesus’ name. Amen.

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Who are We?

On March 5, 2018   /   Word of the Day   /   Leave a comment

1 Peter 1: 15 – 16

Like the Holy One who called you, be holy yourselves also in all your behavior; because it is written, “You shall be holy, for I am holy.”

This has been weighing on my mind quite a bit lately, so I am compelled to write about it. Few people want to hear holiness preaching and few pastors want to preach it. None the less, God calls us to be a holy people. What does that mean and how does it apply to everyday life? Is God calling us to give up everything that is fun in order to be His? The answer to that is, “No,” but He is calling us into a life with and in Him and that necessarily means a life which is distinguishable from the world, a life which has been transformed.

Romans 12: 2 tells us not to be conformed to this world but rather to be transformed. This is one of the most important lifestyle verses in the New Testament. The more you meditate on this scripture, the more application you find for it in your life. Jesus came to give you an abundant life (John 10: 10). However, that does not mean that he came to increase your appetite for the things of the world. He doesn’t mind you owning things. He is not depriving you of the good things in the earth. He is, however, trying to save our lives from the pitfalls.

Everything we are and everything we do should be offered up to Him. We should be living a life in which we put our desires on the altar so that He is in charge of them. Anything can become an idol if it occupies space in front of God. So, that may be television, games, books, social events, food, drink, sports, literally anything. If you are a coffee drinker and you have never put coffee on the altar and sacrificed it to God, you should. That does not mean He is going to take it away. It means that you choose to put coffee behind your passion for God.

We are called to be a peculiar people (1 Peter 2: 9 KJV). That is a strange statement. What it means is that we are different from people of the world. Ephesians 1: 4 reads, “He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we would be holy and blameless before Him.” That’s got to mean something. He has called us to be holy and blameless before Him. He provided the blood which cleanses us, but we have a role in this too. I don’t want to say it this way but . . . Jesus didn’t spill his blood so that we can run around like heathens. Do you agree? And yet, I find myself, my Christian friends and frankly, most Christians, looking no different than unsaved, unwashed, unredeemed Gentiles. I have to counsel myself that Jesus’ blood means more than that.

Can we get real for a moment? I have struggled with my weight, so, have I really and truly done as Romans 12: 1 commands, “Present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship.” What about alcohol consumption? I have never been one to preach abstinence, but I wonder, sometimes, if a beer with friends has become more important than the Word of God. Is our pleasure coming from the things of the world or the things of God? Only the things of God will satisfy. Things of the world tend to be addictive by which I mean, we always want another. That is why we binge watch TV. It’s fun but even after a weekend of watching television, we still want more. On drink, one piece of candy is rarely enough. We will never get satisfied and the more we try, the further God recedes into the background of our lives.

This is not about recrimination or condemnation. “Therefore there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus,” (Romans 8: 1). It is a call, however, to examination. Are we individually and /or collectively a people whose priority is God? Do we attempt to live lives which are holy before the Lord? Or have we been seduced by the world such that there is no distinguishing characteristic between the children of God and the children of the world? Have we put the pleasures and enjoyment of this world before our service to God? These are the questions we should be asking ourselves and praying about. I am convinced that the church needs a wake-up call but that will only come about as we join in praying for the body of believers we call Christians. Be united in holiness before the Lord. Worship Him with all you do. He is worthy.

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Anti-aging Pill

On October 6, 2017   /   Word of the Day   /   Leave a comment

Isaiah 40: 31

Those who trust in the Lord will renew their strength; they will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not become weary, they will walk and not faint.

I have written to you before about the most literal sense of this verse but allow me to remind you and then we are going to see the application of it. At its most basic level this verse invites us to become intertwined with God. There are many synonyms I like for this: interwoven, intermeshed and integrated to name just a few. Isaiah communicates to us that if our lives, even our very existence, is intertwined with the life of God, then our strength will be renewed. We will soar on the wind with wings like eagles. We will run and not become weary. Enmeshed in God means we can walk without fainting. It all sounds great but is there any real world, applicable truth in it? Absolutely.

I am living in God’s grace and I bless His Holy name that this verse is true. Your body responds to God’s word. Your spirit yearns for interconnectedness with our God. And if you want the fountain of youth, I honestly believe you are going to find it between Genesis One and Revelation twenty-two. The more we connect with the trinity, the more we are interwoven with “the life.” That life within us is giving life to our mortal bodies (Romans 8: 11). It’s true!

As I said to a friend of mine one time, “Jesus looks good on you.” I honestly believe that who he is in you affects the way you look and the way your body performs. He is the life so when he makes his abode in you, then good things happen. I remember Gloria Copeland and Billye Brim talking about their skin and appearance and they agreed that the life in you helps keep you looking younger.

Okay, so here is the caveat. This isn’t your garden variety, cultural Christianity where we say the sinner’s prayer and then wait for the trumpet blast. This is interwoven life. The life of God intermeshed with all that you are. Remember the Word of the Day titled Lord of the Lunge? It is that idea, applied. Everything we do, say and think we integrate with and involve our Lord. He becomes the very present “now” in our lives. When you wake up with Him, and talk with Him, and go to bed with Him, He can’t help it, He brings more life giving momentum to your world. Honestly, some people even have a hard time dying because they are so filled up with life. That life oils your joints and produces lanolin for your skin. Maybe you will turn gray more slowly or not at all.

It’s great to have good genes. It is even better when you have a revelation of being DNA coupled with the Holy One. Let Jesus run around in your DNA chain. Then let’s talk about our genetic history and make-up. You are genetically tied to the life giving force of your heavenly Father so let’s get excited about this. Get on those eagle wings and soar. Run hard and fast. Live strong. Breathe in the life of the blessed with every breath. Let Jesus truly live his life in you but not only in your spirit. Give him your body. This really isn’t a radical idea. In fact, it isn’t even a new idea. The apostle Paul beat me to it by, oh, a couple of thousand years when he wrote, “Therefore I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship (Romans 12: 1). Get a revelation on this now. Be like John so full of God that the enemy can’t kill you.

You can still be young and beautiful in your eighties, nineties or beyond when you know the secret of the anti-aging pill. Take this verse daily for skin care and for strength in your body. Get yourself all tangled up in Christ and enjoy this great life!

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Meaning in Omnipresence

On April 30, 2015   /   Word of the Day   /   Leave a comment

Psalm 139: 7

Where can I go from Your Spirit? Or where can I flee from Your presence.

We commonly accept that God is omnipresent, existing everywhere at once. If you want a scriptural basis for this concept you wouldn’t go wrong with today’s verse. God’s omnipresence can mean many things for you. If you have been lonely, know that He is with you always. It might help someone else avoid sin knowing that God will witness it. I want to take you to a different place today but in keeping with the thoughts and ideas from yesterday’s examination of Romans 12: 1.

I believe that when we think of God being everywhere we often imagine Him in the empty spaces of our environment. Think about where you are right now. Do you imagine God is somewhere in the room or everywhere in the room? Does He fill all the space where there is nothing else: no furniture, people, computers, lamps, etc.? I would like to explore another idea.

Let’s think about your body. Are you porous or non-porous? We are porous right, meaning that we have pores and are therefore, absorbent.  Body lotions would have little effect if we couldn’t absorb them into our skin. Now imagine yourself surrounded by the Holy Spirit of God. Can you absorb Him? Think of the inside of your body. We know that the Holy Spirit now resides within us; God has made His abode within us as His new temple. Where does He live? Do you imagine empty places within you which the Spirit occupies?

I would like to propose another idea. Imagine the Holy Spirit of God being absorbed into your tissues, your molecules and even the atoms that make up every fiber of your body. Do you have an injury? Suppose you had a back injury. We learned yesterday to give our bodies to God and even to make our gifts specific so give Him your back and then invite Him to fill your back with His presence. He is omnipresent. He exists everywhere, not just where other things are not. See God insinuating Himself into every muscle fiber, every bone, all cartilage, tissue and fluid in your back. Think of that. See the Holy Spirit indwelling your spinal column, filling you with His radiant power and glory. This is the radiation treatment we need, the Holy Spirit indwelling every fiber of our being right down to the smallest sub-atomic particle.

He is the life (John 14: 6), so the more we allow ourselves to be filled up with Him the more we are filled with life. It makes perfect sense doesn’t it? Jesus said he came to give us abundant life (John 10: 10). He also said that He and the Father would come and make their abode with us (John 14: 23). Then doesn’t it just make sense that allowing them to fill us is going to be a life-giving proposition?  But I have one caveat. I would not suggest this is a once and for all prayer. We ought to be praying this every day over our bodies. What I have found is that as I grow spiritually I find additional ways to allow the Father to fill me more. I also, unfortunately, discover places that I have not allowed Him to indwell even though I thought I gave all. We have sentries posted that we have forgotten about. Some of them have been there for a long time. As you retire the sentries and allow God into those barred rooms and spaces you will always experience new life and renewed life.

So, allow God’s omnipresence to be more than God with you. He is with you, around you and in you. Let this revelation comfort you and work healing in your body.

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Human Sacrifice

On April 29, 2015   /   Word of the Day   /   Leave a comment

Romans 12: 1

I urge you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship.

This passage is so familiar that we often fail to look at the words. This isn’t just a call to present your body to God. There is more to it than that. This is a form of worship. It is part of our service to God. Note how urgently Paul entreats his followers. He seems to think this is very important. He tells us to present our bodies as a living and holy sacrifice. If I sacrifice my body to God’s service then that must mean that I am giving up some level of control. My body is no longer my own. Isn’t that right? We are no longer our own. We have been purchased with a price, the blood of Jesus (Revelation 5: 9). Further, this offering is meant to be a sacrifice which is acceptable to God. What does that mean? People have many answers to that question, you hopefully will find your own, but one way to think about it is that I will not take God’s body anywhere I should not. It also seems that it would mean that when I use this body, I use it in ways that are consistent with the Word of God. And I would mention that when we present our bodies to God it means that we give each part, all members of our bodies to God. That means even our tongues. What we say ought to edify the Father and His children.

I wish to give you one other perspective on giving your body to God. I recently made a long bike ride. In the last eight miles it started getting tough. Well, the Father and I have a running deal that the last three miles are His. He helps me through all the other miles but that last three are His alone. Well, with eight miles to go I started praying. I said, “Dad, it looks like you are going to have to take the last eight miles today.” That presented no problem to Him at all. I started releasing everything to Him and then I said, “Father, I give you my legs.” Wow! An epiphany went off in my head. I received a revelation of God’s healing and energizing power flowing into my legs and of Him using my legs to power that bike. I tell you I am getting thrilled again just writing to you about it.

When we present our bodies we need to present each and every part. Don’t just present your body as a whole. Give Him your eyes and then look out through those eyes with Him. Look at your hands and give them to Him. How does your back feel? Give Him your back. Give all to Him and what you will find is that He just multiplies your sacrifices and offerings back to you a hundredfold. I don’t know when we will ever let this hundredfold return on our offerings really sink in but it is right there in our bodies as well as our pocketbooks. Every time Dad demands an offering or a gift it is because He wants to do something for you. If you will give Him your body you will receive it back in much better working order. He has healing in His hands so whatever you put into His hands comes out with healing in it. Hey, that wouldn’t be bad for our pocketbooks either, would it?

Well, the moral of the story is that I had a great ride. I completed my first 50 mile bike ride ever and my average speed was as high as for a 25 mile ride. And that is not all. The next day I was not sore at all. In fact, I walked on the treadmill the next day. It wasn’t in my strength but, hallelujah, when I am weak, then I am strong. Think I will give the sacrifice of my body on the next ride.

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