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Grace Notes

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DAILY CHRISTIANITY
by Philip Owen

 

The narrative accounts in Scripture often focus on action, on great struggle, on forceful and decisive moments: Abraham “slaying” Isaac, Moses parting the Red Sea, Joshua fighting the battle of Jericho, David slaying Goliath, Peter healing the lame man; Paul raising Eutychus, etc. Among other things, these historical accounts of real events are intended to focus our attention on what God can and will do on behalf of His children and on what His children can and must do at crucial junctures in their lives. But to think that life consists primarily of these high dramatic points and to live in the hope of overcoming at those crucial moments without regular preparation does not comport with reality. For most of us and for most of the time, our lives consist of mundane routine. And as soldiers in World War I discovered, victory in a furious fire fight (the big event) is often won by properly digging the trench (the mundane event) the day before. The New Testament commends a number of “daily” preparations required of the believer who would be victorious.
 
Prayer. Clearly, a believer must feed on the Word of God daily. But where the New Testament uses one of several synonyms for the term daily, no activity is mentioned more frequently than prayer. Paul explained to the Thessalonians that his activities included “Night and day praying exceedingly that we might see your face, and might perfect that which is lacking in your faith” (I Thes. 3:10).   Writing to Timothy about the state of widowhood, Paul observed that “a widow indeed . . . trusteth in God, and continueth in supplications and prayers night and day” (I Tim. 5:5). And in his second epistle to Timothy, Paul testified “that without ceasing I have remembrance of thee in my prayers night and day” (1:3). Casual, occasional, intermittent prayer is not sufficient. In order to be victorious, a believer’s life must be bathed in prayer; he must be in continual communication with his Heavenly Father.
 
Work (from a certain perspective). Twice Paul speaks of daily work: “For ye remember, brethren, our labour and travail . . . laboring night and day . . .” (I Thes. 2:9); and “Neither did we eat any man’s bread for nought; but wrought with labour and travail night and day . . .” (II Thes. 3:8). In the two instances, Paul explains that his purpose in doing such work was in order, first, that he might not be burdensome; second, that he might serve as an example; and third, that he might have freedom to preach the Word. This little window into Paul’s manner of life yields big insights regarding daily living that lead to victory. Believers must spend a good portion of each day working to provide for the necessities of life. But if the necessity of daily work devolves into simply being a part of the rat race, or of getting ahead, or of ensuring financial security for the family, a Christian perspective has been lost. Paul understood that being obedient to the scriptural injunction to work entailed a higher agenda. He viewed it as part of serving the Lord, and as a means to the end of ministering more effectively.
 
Exhortation. “But exhort one another daily . . . lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin” (Heb. 3:13). Believers are to encourage (“exhort”) one another to faith and faithfulness on a daily basis. Such an expectation requires a close, consistent walk with the Lord so that the words and actions of each believer serve to encourage other believers around him to stand for the Lord. We need both to give and to receive regular, repeated encouragement.
 
Death. Yes, death, as strange as that may sound. But one of the keys to Paul’s effectiveness in serving His Lord is that he practiced dying daily to himself (I Cor. 15:31) and living unto the Lord. The day a believer fails to die to himself is the day that he lives for himself; the fruit of that choice is sin and all its many consequences. Death to self with its will ambitions, and desires must be the daily practice of saints who would be victorious.
 
Renewal. As was suggested at the outset, a victorious believer will be faithful on a daily basis in many areas as important as those mentioned above. Those listed above, however, are specifically mentioned using the terms “daily” or “day-by-day.” But we should be encouraged that God has not left us to struggle to be faithful daily in our own strength. For the Lord promises that “as thy days, so shall thy strength be” (Deut. 33:25), and more specifically, “though our outward man perish, yet the inward man is renewed day by day” (II Cor. 4:16). God provides the power to accomplish what He calls us to do.
 
Christianity is a race to be run like the tortoise—steadily and consistently, not like the hare—starts and stops, slumbers and dashes. And the Lord has provided the wherewithal to effect His will in our lives. Day by day, through the life of the Holy Spirit, believers receive fresh spiritual power to obey the Word, make right choices, please the Lord, serve the brethren, and testify to the world. The hymnist knew: “Day by day, and with each passing moment, strength I find . . . .”

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