Living for Jesus Daily

Today's professional athlete may be overpaid, but they contribute more to our society than we give them credit for. If you want a metaphor for desire, intensity, focus, passion, going for it with reckless abandon, then observe our professional athletes at work. The teach us the importance of preparation - they teach us how to win.





Arnold Schwarzenegger said it this way, " You can learn almost everything you need to know in life from sports."
In life, if we fail to compete effectively we may not enjoy the benefits and privileges enjoyed by those who compete successfully.
Thus we know that it is important , humanly speaking, to know how to win. Vince Lombardi said, " Winning isn't everything it is the only thing."

The pursuits of fame, glory, and wealth are what drive the professional athlete, however the Christian is to be motivated by something more permanent. Tales of the glory of the legends of old have long fell silent. We seek the approval of God and the everlasting reward to be given by Jesus Christ.

The Apostle Paul, in I Corinthians 9:25-27, put it this way, " 25 Every athlete exercises self-control in all things. They do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable. 26 So I do not run aimlessly; I do not box as one beating the air. 27 But I discipline my body and keep it under control," .

The professional athlete is not indifferent about the outcome of his or her endeavors. They practice and train hard, study film, and are constantly seeking to add to their knowledge and skill to give them a competitive edge. They will to win. This is what living for Jesus daily is all about. We need to be focused and we need to be doing the things that we know to do. Reading the word, praying, loving our brothers and sisters in Christ, loving our enemies, and all those things that Jesus talked about in the Sermon on the Mount. We must strive to walk in the Spirit, and deny the lustful desires of our sinful nature.

Since the list can go on and on we need to study our bibles often. What happens to an athletes when they fail to know the rules? They are disqualified. Ignorance is not an excuse. 

As we learn how to conduct ourselves we must be sure to walk in the spirit, because or natural sinful nature is at war with our desires to live a life pleasing to God.

Being born again is not merly a claim or a proclamation of belief or faith, rather it is the experience of your life being permeated by the presence of the Holy Spirit.

(Permeate: definition 1, to pass into or through every part of)

Two things are absolute characteristics of every born again believer.

1. They have a sincere desire to do away sin in their lives in order to please God.


2. They have a craving for the word of God. Just as you would think it strange for a new born baby to have no desire for it's mothers' milk; it would be equally strange for a person newly born in to the family of God spiritually to have no interest in the Bible which is the word of life.

I want to speak directly. I don't think that I am special, but I know that I have eternal life within me. I want to influence as many people as possible to take careful inventory of their lives and to be certain that they have truly established an eternal relationship with Jesus Christ. I heard a sermon recently that provoked me to thinking. The title was "Almost Christians" . Judas Iscariot was used as a chilling example of just how close a person can be to Jesus and yet remain unconverted, unchanged, and yet not be born again. Jesus said that "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God." This mysterious transaction is a necessity and mere church membership and familiarity with Jesus is not enough. You must be born again.