Happy New Year!
In our last study, we talked about EVERYDAY food.
Medical science has proven that there are minimum daily requirements for vitamins, minerals, proteins, and other nutrients that the human body must take in to maintain good health and to carry out essential functions. Naturally, this is an everyDAY obligation to your body—not every week, once a month, or whenever you feel sick.
EVERYDAY food is not only needed physically, but spiritually also. We have already discussed some of the spiritual nutrition that’s essential to maintain our life in God, such as: EVERYDAY grace, mercy, faith, trust, prayer, worship, and a daily diet of the Word of God. We need it ALL.
But, let’s dig a bit deeper. The Apostle Paul, in Chapter 5 of his epistle to the Ephesians, gives us another checklist of “minimum daily requirements” to consider. What a worthy goal to try to evidence a bit of ALL of it EVERY single day:
- Everyday love. “Walk in love, as Christ also hath loved us, and hath given himself for us (as) an offering …” (Ephesians 5:2 KJV) While walking in a continuous attitude of love, loving on the spot becomes easier to do.
- Everyday light. “Ye were sometimes darkness, but now are ye light in the Lord: walk as children of light.” (Ephesians 5:8 KJV) (1 John 1:7)
- Everyday fruit. “The fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness and righteousness and truth; proving what is acceptable unto the LORD.” (Ephesians 5:9-10 KJV) Actually, Jesus convicted me about this recently. It was after a frustrating day, and I had been reacting to it with my behavior. He said, “So, what fruit of the Spirit did YOU display today? Joy? Long-suffering? How about meekness or gentleness? These ALL need to be visible EVERY DAY regardless of how difficult the day is.” (A-hem.) Yes, Lord.
- Everyday vision. “See then that ye walk circumspectly (watching in all directions), not as fools, but as wise, redeeming the time, because the days are evil.” (Ephesians 5:15-16 KJV) Always aim high, keeping the BIG picture in view.
- Everyday wisdom. “Wherefore be ye not unwise, but understanding what the will of the Lord is … be filled with the Spirit.” (Ephesians 5:17-18 KJV) With the Holy Spirit in our heart and the Word in our hand, we possess an inexhaustible, 24/7 access to eternal wisdom. We should take advantage of it daily.
- Everyday songs. “Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord.” (Ephesians 5:19 KJV)
- Everyday gratitude. “Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.” (Ephesians 5:20 KJV)
- Everyday humility. “Submitting yourselves one to another in the fear of God.” (Ephesians 5:21 KJV)
- Everyday spiritual hygiene. And at the end of the day … we do well to be sanctified and cleansed “with the washing of water BY THE WORD.” (Ephesians 5:25-26 KJV)
Let’s look at a couple other spiritual MDRs we could add to Paul’s list:
- Everyday holiness. “Just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in ALL you do; for it is written: ‘Be holy, because I am holy.” (1 Peter 1:15-16 NIV) God does not expect flawless perfection, but He does expect obedience. True obedience to His WORD … that is holiness. Not just once a year or once in a lifetime, but EVERY DAY.
As long as God is holy, and as long as we are IN HIM, He expects us to live in holiness. It’s a path—a daily walk—and God has provided the WAY. “A highway shall be there, and it shall be called the Way of Holiness.” Step by step, day by day. Don’t worry if you stumble; just get up and keep walking, for “… it shall belong to those who walk on the way; even if they are fools, they shall not go astray … but the redeemed shall walk there … they shall obtain gladness and joy, and sorrow and sighing shall flee away.” (Isaiah 35:8-10 ESV)
- Everyday Shekinah. There is a word that does not appear in the Bible, but the concept clearly does. It is “Shekinah.” Jewish rabbis coined this extra-biblical expression, a form of a Hebrew word that literally means “he caused to dwell,” signifying that it was a divine visitation (dwelling) of the Presence of the Lord God on this earth.
The “Shekinah” was clearly present as the Israelites set out in their escape from Egypt. “And the LORD went before them by day in a pillar of a cloud, to lead them the way; and by night in a pillar of fire, to give them light; to go by day and night: He took not away the pillar of the cloud by day, nor the pillar of fire by night, from before the people.” (Exodus 13:21-22 KJV)
We, too, can walk in the Shekinah (Holy Presence of God) every day. He is ever present … “to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them.” (Hebrews 7:25 KJV)
Jesus is PRESENT at any time, place, or situation to offer His mercy, His grace, His healing power—to meet the need of the moment. As the old gospel song said, “I need Him EVERY day and EVERY hour.” Not just once a year on a holiday.
In His Presence, He makes EVERY day the Highest HOLY Day—and that’s when we find that “eternity” has already begun. EVERY DAY, the sky begins at our feet. We are walking in the clouds of ETERNITY—NOW.
One day, when we cross over the river of death, we’ll find that the abiding Presence of Jesus that surrounded us in life, will be the same after death—only more so. EVERY DAY will have become EVER MORE!
“Behold, the [Shekinah] of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God.” (Rev. 21:3 KJV)
