Just Do It

"Do as I say, not as I do" was a common quote my mom used when I was growing up. She smoked several packs of cigarettes each day, all the while detailing the dangers of smoking to us kids. "But mom, you smoke," we'd point out. Then she'd quote that infamous line to us. She knew what she should do, but for whatever reason she didn't do it.

Many of us are still like that today. Consider all the plans, pills and patches on the market for weight loss. We all know the two things need to lose weight: Eat less and move (or exercise) more. Yet we spend millions of dollars each year for gimmicks because although we know what we should do,w e just don't do it.

Nike, the famous athletic apparel company, coined the phrase "Just do it." But it's not that easy. The apostle Paul was more on target when he said, "What I do is not the good I want to do; no, the evil I do not want to do - this I keep on doing." (Rom 7:19) So we keep on smoking or overeating or failing to do what we know we should.

The Bible gives us a summary of what we must do to put feet to our faith:

"Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind:; and, ""Love your neighbor as yourself." Luke 10:27

Focusing on these two commands alone is a full time job, so to speak, yet we waste time instead of spending time with God, and find fault not only with our neighbor, but also with our coworkers, family members, and practically everyone else.

God wants us to do more than just listen to His Word. He wants us to obey it. He wants us to spend time in the Scriptures strengthen our understanding so that we can "just do it" without arguing, complaining, justifying or denying. He wants us to repent of our tendency to expect others do as we say but not as we do because we know we're doing the wrong thing.

Just as Nike would have you believe you can't "Just do it" without their shoes, the Bible truthfully states that we can't do it without Jesus. He did what we couldn't - He lived as a human without sinning. But when He left earth, He gave us the gift of the Holy Spirit to help us do what we should.

God's Holy Spirit prompts us to make the right decisions, to stop doing what we know is wrong, and to live a life worthy of being called children of God. We can overcome the sinful nature with God's help and do what He calls us to do.

Once you start doing that, you'll find another change in your life. You still won't be able to "just do it" as easily as the Nike ads claim. But you will be able to do it justly. And doing it justly is better than just doing it every time.


Originally published in Vista Journal for Holy Living, March 21, 2010