Is there a simple and practical pattern for daily living, whereby we might honour Christ on a daily basis? Indeed there is. Scripture makes clear that if we are to be effective Christians, radiant in life and effective and powerful in witness, there are certain things we must do every day. In order to do these things we must have resolution or determination; we must be able to say like the Apostle Paul, "But one thing I do." As we consider these points let us resolve that with God's help we will try to fit our lives into this pattern.

      1. EVERY DAY I WILL OFFER MYSELF AFRESH TO THE LORD. In Numbers 29:6 we are told that the priests were instructed to offer the Lord "daily burnt offerings". When we wake up in the morning let this be our first act: present ourselves wholly to the Lord. Say to Him, "Lord, I give myself afresh to You for this day so that You may live Your life in me. Take possession of my hear and control all my loving; fill my mind and guide my thinking; motivate my will and direct all my choosing." In this way we will make ourselves a daily burnt offering", and we will be available to Him for Him to do His work in us and through us during the whole of each day.

      2. EVERY DAY I WILL CALL UPON HE LORD IN PRAYER In Psalm 86:3 the psalmist says, "I call to you all day long." It is very significant to note that all those men and women who have been a power for God have known what it is to be faithful in this matter of the "the Quiet Time". To spend time alone with God means sacrifice, and we must resolve that we will make the sacrifice and that we will make our time alone with the Lord a priority matter. If we are successful in achieving this objective we will experience poise and power throughout each day, and our lives will be joyful and a blessing to others.

      3. EVERY DAY I WILL SEARCH AND FEED UPON THE WORD OF GOD. In Acts 17:11 we read of the Bereans, that they "examined the Scriptures every day". It is a bad thing to start the day's work without any nourishing food, without any breakfast; and it is an equally bad thing to try to live the Christian life with insufficient nourishment and sustenance. Do not expect to be a healthy, vibrant Christian if you are starving yourself. Get alone regularly with your Bible and feed upon the Word, and you will become strong spiritually.

      4. EVERY DAY I WILL SEEK TO DIE TO SIN AND SELF. In 1 Corinthians 15:31, the Apostle Paul says a very remarkable thing. He says, "I die every day." But surely, we as Christians, want to live? The Lord Jesus said that He had come to give us life, abundant life - This is true, but it is also true that the way to live is to die. This means a daily funeral service where we are the deceased; this means a voluntary willingness to be die to pride, flattery, envy and resentment, for the measure in which Christ can live and reveal His life in us is exactly in proportion to our willingness to die to ourselves.

      5. EVERY DAY I WILL SPEAK TO OTHERS OF MY LORD. In Acts 5:42 we are told that this is exactly what Peter and John did. The great evangelist D. L Moody made the vow that he would speak about the Lord Jesus to at least one person every day. If you have never done so, why not consecrate your conversation to the Lord? If we will do so we will see Him working in wonderful ways in the hearts of those to whom we speak.

      6. EVERY DAY I WILL HELP SOMEONE ELSE WHO IS IN NEED. In Hebrews 3:13 the apostle says, "Encourage one another daily, as long as it is called Today." There is a great ministry here, in which every Christian can engage. It is the ministry of encouragement and support that we give to others when they are in trouble or in any kind of need. As Christians, we should be the first people to offer help to those who are in any kind of distress, and while we have a special ministry to our brothers and sisters in Christ, we also have a responsibility to help those who are not believers.

      7. EVERY DAY I WILL LIVE AND WORK IN THE LIGHT OF THE SAVOUR'S COMING AGAIN. In Proverbs 8:34 we read the words, "Blessed is the man who listens to me, watching daily at my doors, waiting at my doorway." Here is the whole idea of vigilance, of being on the watch. We do not know when the Lord will return; therefore we will want to live carefully and prayerfully in the light of His return.

      A daily offering of ourselves to the Lord, a daily prayer time, a daily meeting with Him to feed upon His Word, a daily dying to self, a daily endeavour to witness in the power of the Holy Spirit, a daily ministry of compassion and encouragement to others, and a daily watchfulness, remembering that He may return at any moment - this is a Scriptural pattern for living for the Lord day by day.

In His love,
Floyd McPhee