When I was in junior high, I had a goofy t-shirt with a picture of a UFO that said, “I am only visiting this planet.” It was a double innuendo. On one hand, I loved to be silly, and the shirt was like an admission that with all of my quirks, I must be an alien. However, the message I really wanted to get across was that I am a child of God, and that Heaven is my true home, not here and now. I did not then, nor do I now belong to this world. As His children, we are all set apart, and we must guard our hearts, minds, and behaviors against conforming to the patterns of this world. Our lives here are temporary, and we must set our sights on preparing for eternity!
The world teaches us that we are independent and should do whatever brings us satisfaction in life. It is all about me and my fulfillment. However, I have learned that kind of lifestyle only brings ultimate disillusionment.
Yesterday, the focus was on living like we belong to God. We are not our own, but we were bought with a price. Therefore, God has the right to direct our lives and set the standard for us. Today, the emphasis is offering our lives as a living sacrifice to Him. He deserves 100% surrender of our lives to Him – physically, emotionally, spiritually, mentally, habits, lifestyle choices, our time, our dreams, our ambitions, our life’s work, our callings, our gifts, our desires, our relationships, and so on…
Since we do not belong to this world, we must not allow ourselves to get caught in the trap of trying to people please or imitate our godless society. With God’s strength, we must submit our lives to obedience and conformity to His will alone.
Here are the answers to today’s questions…
Today’s truth is speaking to me…
Living for self, according to this world’s values, promotes a sense of entitlement. It is all about us and our desires. If want it, we should have it. However, living for God involves total surrender – spiritual, mental, and yes, even physical. Taking care of our bodies is a form of worship because it involves surrendering and honoring the One who made us and gave Himself for us. That includes eating well, abstaining from junk, drinking water, exercising, resting, thinking positively, reducing stress, etc. We honor Him when we give our all to Him – our lifestyle, habits, our mind, our physical health, and as Debbie said, “the things we allow access to our hearts.”
God is asking me to…
Strive for a healthier body. He has been urging me for years to surrender my health habits to Him, and my disobedience has been like a millstone attached to my leg. It is a heavy and wearisome burden to carry. I see so much more clearly how the way I treat my body, the temple of the Holy Spirit, gives honor or dishonor to God. It would be very disrespectful to treat His temple like a garbage can. I must yield my eating and exercise habits to Him once and for all!
My challenge is to…
Overcome my overwhelming addiction to sugar and emotional eating.
Overcome my lack of motivation to exercise.
Develope disciplined routines and habits.
Research good health habits and practice them.
Today’s prayer…
Lord, you made me, and though I often think I am my own, I really am not. Teach me to live as one who is no longer about self but about the God who made her, for his purposes. Only then can I become my best self. Conform me to the image of your Son and your plan for my life. Show me what the sacrifice of giving myself to you looks like.
Favorite quotes…
“So here’s what I want you to do, God helping you: Take your everyday, ordinary life—your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life—and place it before God as an offering.” Romans 12:1 MSG
“Often buying into the “me” mentality gets us trapped in habits, relationships, and lifestyles that hurt us in the end.”
“When life is all about us, there is not much room for God.”
“Such a life does not involve only what we think of as spiritual matters, but practical life as well – what we eat, how we live, how we respond to people, what we are given over to. Completely submitting to God is what faith is all about.”
“Truth is, all of life is spiritual, and in God’s eyes a line does not divide the two.”
“What did eating and drinking, exercising and sleeping have to do with being spiritual? As I am learning, they have everything to do with our spiritual life…God’s Word tells us that all of life belongs to Him.”
“No more my way with a little Jesus on top. No more Jesus plus everything else. To be changed, it had to be just Jesus.”
“Once we surrender ourselves to the God who made us, loves us, and has forgiven us, God begins to do amazing things in our lives.”
“I didn’t want to change my diet, and quite frankly, I am not a fan of exercise. But if my body truly isn’t my own, and heart disease is the diagnosis, it would be disrespectful to God to hold on to my own rights over it, wouldn’t it?
“Why is this physical sacrifice a spiritual act of worship? It is an intentional surrendering of our self, as we know it, to the God who made us. It is coming into agreement with his Word, which says we don’t belong to ourselves anyway.”
“Examine your lifestyle choices. Do you eat healthy? Do you exercise regularly? Do you take any precaution for existing medical conditions? Do you sleep, rest, manage stress?”
