Timing is Everything

2 Corinthians 6:2 “For God says, ‘At just the right time, I heard you. On the day of salvation, I helped you.’ Indeed, God is ready to help you right now. Today is the day of salvation.” NLT

Every year on New Year’s Day, millions of people make New Year’s Resolutions. Without a doubt and without much debate, the #1 resolution made...I’m sure you can guess it...is to lose weight. I’m also positive that if you’re reading this, either you or someone close to you has also made that same resolution. We all know that as God’s creation, our health is important to Him, yet sometimes it’s a difficult aspect of our lives to consistently maintain.

“Tomorrow, I’ll start,” I’ve heard people say. “After the first of the year, I’m going to lose weight,” others have said. And still others I’ve heard say, “On Monday, I’m starting my diet.” When I’ve talked with others who are on a weight-loss journey already, they feel horrible when they stray off of their plan. They may have caved to temptation and then feel as though all hope is lost, at least for the rest of the day. I’ve thought all of those same things too. When I “fall off the wagon,” I feel like I can then just keep failing for the rest of the day because, well, the day is spoiled! “I’ll start again tomorrow,” I’ve thought. It’s those thoughts though that led me to obesity and prevented me from living a healthy lifestyle for 32 years. Putting off until tomorrow what I should’ve been doing today kept me from ever fully realizing the healthy lifestyle that God had designed for me. Tomorrow came late. I’m thankful that the “tomorrow” or “Monday morning” I so often mentioned finally did come, but it came so much later than it should have!

In this second letter to the Corinthian church, Paul discusses the ministry of reconciliation that we have in pointing others to Jesus. He has given us a task, but for some reason, we often ignore this wonderful calling of God. For some reason, we often neglect telling others what God has done in our hearts. But Paul states very plainly, “Indeed, the right time is now. Today is the day of salvation.” There’s no need to delay accepting Him as Lord of your life or telling others about Him. Delaying in witnessing the cleansing work of God is cheating others out of eternal life. What precious time we waste when we procrastinate in telling others about Him. We are not promised tomorrow. One woman who shaped my Christian mind as a child used to pray, “Lord help us to remember that today is the day of salvation; tomorrow may never come.” Hearing that prayer set in my heart an urgency to see others saved.

Like our spiritual lives, our physical lives are nothing with which to play around. There’s no need to delay. First of all, we need to remember that wasting precious time that we should be spending living healthy lives is simply cheating ourselves of what God wants to do. He desires to give us so much more energy and good health so that we may serve Him longer. Secondly, even when we are sincerely trying to live in a healthful way, there will be times of failure and temptation. But when those things do occur, we need not feel like the entire day is wasted. We can get back up and keep going. Why make a bad situation worse by piling on more guilt and more things to simply drag us down? We must remember that imperfect progress is better than zero progress. Even though the path we’ve mapped out may look different than the one we’re walking, doesn’t mean that we’ve eternally failed. 

Today is the day of salvation. Tomorrow may never come.

What will you do today? How will you handle possible failures and setbacks? The entire day is not wasted. There’s no time like today!

Encouragement for Today

Ephesians 5:15-17 “So be careful how you live. Don’t live like fools, but like those who are wise. Make the most of every opportunity in these evil days. Don’t act thoughtlessly, but understand what the Lord wants you to do.” NLT

Proverbs 27:1 “Don’t brag about tomorrow, since you don’t know what the day will bring.” NLT

Picky Eaters

1 Corinthians 9:27 “I disciple my body like an athlete, training it to do what it should. Otherwise, I fear that after preaching to others I myself might be disqualified.” NLT

“I know I need to lose some weight, but I don’t like all of...that,” my co-worker waved her hand at my plate. This particular co-worker had watched me lose the last 20 pounds and she was getting curious. Every day, she would ask me questions, but she would always refute my answers with reasons why she couldn’t do it too. Today, her excuse was that she was a picky eater. So, I asked her, “What are two fruits that you like?” She told me that she liked bananas and apples and went on to share that she ate beans and corn. I came up with a few options for her off the top of my head, but I honestly thought that she just wasn’t ready.

Picky eaters will struggle in areas of nutrition when trying to lose weight. Things that picky eaters enjoy usually tend to be starchy and full of carbs. I also enjoyed starchy foods and I still struggle with my bread consumption. But there are always options, even for the pickiest of eaters to consume. After all, the picky eaters I know typically eat the same things over and over anyway. 

When I started my weightloss journey, I read countless blogs and articles of the benefits of certain foods. I wanted to know what would help me lose weight, feel full, and add to my overall health. There are foods that I regularly consume today that I never ate before I started this journey. Without this lifestyle change and research, I never would’ve discovered that I like greek yogurt, green tea, or almonds. But on the flipside, there are things that I had to learn to enjoy. I always thought that raspberries tasted like soap before, but now, they’re a regular part of my diet. Avocados were only to be used for guacamole, but now I use them along with greek yogurt as a base for chicken salad and sandwich spread. Asparagus had never been present in my mouth before, but now it is a weekly occurrence in my home.

While I wouldn’t necessarily call myself a picky eater, I am indeed a picky exerciser. I am physically incapable of playing most team sports because of my birth defect, and I absolutely despise pushups. I can do them if I force myself, but it’s just not something I enjoy. I certainly didn’t enjoy running at first either, but now is a different story. Picky eaters may find themselves having to discipline themselves to eat certain things for their health, and they may actually find that in time, they start to enjoy new foods.

Paul writes in the last part of 1 Corinthians 9 about the historic Isthmian games, an Olympic type event, held in Corinth every two years. He illustrates his point of spiritual discipline is much like athletic training. If we were to compete in an athletic event, we would prepare rigorously so as to win the prize. If we’re not planning to win, why play the game, right? In the same way, strict self-discipline is required if we are to grow as believers in Him. We must press on in our Bible Study and in prayer. We must submit to obeying Christ in all things, so as to win the prize of salvation, eternal life in Christ. 

Paul goes onto express his fear of being disqualified. He expresses his concern that after he has taught others how to obtain the prize, he might not get it himself. Therefore, he has disciplined himself in such as a way so that he would not fall away from Christ.

As we transition ourselves into living a healthy lifestyle, we often find that changes are hard. We are accustomed to living one way only to change several things at one time. Those changes may be uncomfortable, but we press on, knowing that our discipline will win us the prize in the end!

Enjoy some time today reading through 1 Corinthians 9-10 and see how Paul explained food consumption and discipline. It’s quite enlightening and encouraging!

Encouragement for Today

1 Corinthians 8:8 “It’s true that we can’t win God’s approval by what we eat. We don’t lose anything if we don’t eat it, and we don’t gain anything if we do.” NlT

1 Timothy 4:4-5 “Since everything God created is good, we should not reject any of it but receive it with thanks. For we know it is made acceptable by the word of God and prayer.” NLT

Matthew 4:4 “‘People do not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’” NLT

The Body of Christ

I cried myself to sleep last night and then continued this morning when I woke up. Someone, another Christian, has hurt me deeply, and the bad thing about it is...they know it, and they do not care. I think, in fact, they may get joy from knowing that they've hurt me. I admit that I threw a pity party most of the day.

I sincerely hope that I've never hurt someone in such a way. It seems to me that wound hurt worse when it's from within the body of Christ. Why, if we are of one body, do we continue to hurt others? Why do we intentionally, carnally, go after blood, so to speak, just so we can get our way or feel justified in our opinions?

I told my husband last night that the worst hurts of my life have come from someone in the church. And it's true. There's nothing that hurts worse than hearing cut-downs and malicious talk from someone that's supposed to be an edifying presence in our lives. I may be too sensitive. I may take things the wrong way sometimes, and I may be hesitant to receive constructive criticism. I've tried to work on that, and I honestly believe that I've come a long way.

But in this instance, I left my heart open and vulnerable to this attack of Satan. And that is what it is...it's an attack of Satan. But it's hard to understand how Satan can possible use someone that is supposed to be a Christian.

Don't get me wrong...I'm not calling the person who hurt me demon possessed. But I do think that sometimes people's personal opinions, dogmas, and bad attitudes get in the way of God using them, and they inadvertently become a tool of Satan. In our carnal state, Satan breeds things like contempt, fear, and pride in the heart of an off-their-guard believer, and before you know it, contempt, fear, and pride have been bred into the body of Christ as well.

This afternoon, I was crying to my friend, and she said, "I know our trust is supposed to be in God, and not in people, but we are supposed to be a "body." I feel like the body is like a person that cuts himself." How true. She's referring of course, 1 Corinthians 12:24-27 that says, "But God has combined the members of the body and has given greater honor to the parts that lacked it, 25 so that there should be no division in the body, but that its parts should have equal concern for each other. 26 If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honored, every part rejoices with it. 27 Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it. "

Why do we do this to ourselves? Why can't we care for one another in the same way that we care for our own physical bodies. I know that times of hurt are going to come, but when that happens, why can't we administer caring treatment and not further damage?

My conclusions were:

1) Pain is a part of life. While I can't put my hope in people, I should understand that pain is a sign that the body is sick. I have the ability to administer care where it is needed.
2) I pray that I am more aware to the feelings of others around me...and that I care enough to do something about them.

What about you? Have you done something to damage the body? Are you doing your part in the body?  I think the body needs a physical.