Daily As Needed Series

Daily as Needed

January 9th, 2011

If you were to ask people what they could change in their daily regimen to improve their health, most people would have some very good basic ideas. For instance. . .

Regular Exercise -- Just walking more promotes better thealth.

Eating better, increasing our fruits and vegetables.

Taking a daily aspirin may do more than lower your heart disease risk -- it could lower your risk of death from cancer as well.

But if you were to ask people what they could change in their daily regimen that would improve their spiritual health, they would come up with answer, but they would often be much more nebulous or purely hypothetical.

We're starting 2011 and I want to return to the book of Ephesians and look at what can we do to improve our own spiritual health in 2011.

Eph 1:15-23

15 For this reason, ever since I heard about your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all the saints, 16 I have not stopped giving thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers. 17 I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better. 18 I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, 19 and his incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is like the working of his mighty strength, 20 which he exerted in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms, 21 far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every title that can be given, not only in the present age but also in the one to come. 22 And God placed all things under his feet and appointed him to be head over everything for the church, 23 which is his body, the fullness of him who fills everything in every way.

NIV

 WHEN IT COMES TO YOUR DAILY REGIMEN WHAT CAN WE BE DOING TO PROMOTE OUR SPIRITUAL HEALTH?

If you were to write the prescription for a friend, your spouse, yourself what would you prescribe. What do we need daily?

Fresh motivation for our pursuit of God

v. 17

17 I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better.

When a team has it we cheer.

When a child lacks it we challenge them.

Coaches, mentors, teachers, parents preach about it.

When a person is motivated everything changes.

Jamie Foxx, the actor portraying Ray Charles in the movie Ray, never had the relationship with his father that he wanted. His biological parents lived 28 miles away in Dallas, Texas, but rarely visited or noted his achievements.

"I passed for more than 1,000 yards, the first quarterback at my high school to do that," says Foxx. "I was making the Dallas Morning News, and my father never came down. That's weird. Even to this day 'nothing' but that absence made me angry. It made me want to be something. I said, I'm going to make you look up one day and say, 'That's my son'."

"The Art of Being a Confidence Man," Time, (10-18-04); submitted by Bill White, Paramount, California

Spurred on to know him better

The outside motivation

Guided in the pursuit of God

Wisdom & Revelation

Appl: How motivated are you at the beginning of the year to pursue God? How motivated are you right now for more of him. How dissatisfied are you with where you are at. How much more of him do you want?

Until we are motivated for more, we will not seek it.

Fresh insight of the grace of God in our lives

v. 18-21

18 I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, 19 and his incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is like the working of his mighty strength, 20 which he exerted in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms, 21 far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every title that can be given, not only in the present age but also in the one to come.

Second Prayer Request

To know the hope of his calling

That the work God has begun in me he will not give up on. That the things I struggled with last year will become less of a battle this year. That the effectiveness of my witness and my life on others will be greater this year than last year.