Introduction:  Some things are ours by virtue of the fact that we own them.  We paid our money for them.  There are other things that are not ours, in one sense, but they are ours in the sense that those things are within your own power. 

I.                   OUR HABITS, OUR BODY.

A.     Habits are like little threads that weave themselves into strong chains.

1.      They can be pretended servants that become our masters. 

1 Cor. 9:27, “But I keep under my body, and bring it into subjection:  lest that by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway.” 

Rom. 12:1, “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.” 

2.      Some habits are good, while other habits are detrimental. 

Heb. 10:24-25, “And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works:  Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another:  and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.” 

II.                OUR INFLUENCE.

A. Everybody influences others and everybody is influenced by others.

                                  1. The flower can never tell what becomes of its fragrance, nor can we tell what becomes of our influence. 

Rom. 14:7, “For none of us liveth to himself, and no man dieth to himself.” 

                  Heb. 11:4, “By faith Abel offered unto God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain, by which he obtained witness that he was righteous, God testifying of his gifts:  and by it he being dead yet speaketh.” 

                  Rom. 12:21, “Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good.” 

III.             OPPORTUNITIES TO DO GOOD.

A.     Opportunities knock, but seldom do they linger.  There are many good things that we have opportunity to do today that future circumstances will make it impossible for us to do those same things.

1.      These include such things as showing love and respect to our parents, ministering to the sick, teaching neighbors, etc. 

Gal. 6:10, “As we have therefore opportunity, let us do good unto all men, especially unto them who are of the household of faith.”

Titus 3:1, “Put them in mind to be subject to principalities and powers, to obey magistrates, to be ready to every good work,” 

IV.              OUR WORDS.

A.     Words once spoken cannot be recalled.  We lose control of them after they have left our tongue.   

Col. 4:6, “Let your speech be always with grace, seasoned with salt, that ye may know how ye ought to answer every man.”  

Matt. 12:36-37, “But I say unto you, That every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment.  For by thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned.”  

1 Pet. 3:15, “But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts:  and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear:”  

V.                 OUR MONEY.

A.     The money that we presently possess is in our power to spend and give, but it will not always be. 

We might lose it.

We might die.

We might spend it.

Or, we might lose our sanity and no longer be able to exercise full mental power over it. 

1 Tim. 5:8, “But if any provide not for his own, and specially for those of his own house, he hath denied the faith, and is worse than an infidel.” 

2 Cor. 9:7, “Every man according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give; not grudgingly, or of necessity:  for God loveth a cheerful giver.” 

Acts 20:35, “I have shewed you all things, how that so laboring ye ought to support the weak, and to remember the words of the Lord Jesus how he said, It is more blessed to give than to receive.” 

VI.              OUR CHILDREN.

A.     While our children are young, we can train them to obey and to live morally right.

1.      While they are in our power, let us use every opportunity to give them every advantage of becoming and living as a Christian as they reach the age of responsibility. 

Eph. 6:4, “And, ye fathers, provoke not your children to wrath:  but bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord.” 

Prov. 22:6, “Train up a child in the way he should go:  and when he is old, he will not depart from it.” 

VII.           OUR LIFE.

A.     We all have opportunities to choose how we use our time and our life. 

Prov. 27:1, “Boast not thyself of to morrow; for thou knowest not what a day may bring forth.” 

James 4:13-17, “Go to now, ye that say, To day or to morrow we will go into such a city, and continue there a year, and buy and sell, and get gain:  Whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow.  For what is your life?  It is even a vapor, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away.  For that ye ought to say, If the Lord will, we shall live, and do this, or that.  But now ye rejoice in your boastings:  all such rejoicing is evil.  Therefore to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin.”  

Eph. 5:16, “Redeeming the time, because the days are evil.” 

Eccl. 12:1, 13, “Remember now thy Creator in the days of thy youth, while the evil days come not, nor the years draw nigh, when thou shalt say, I have no pleasure in them; 

Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter:  Fear God, and keep his commandments:  for this is the whole duty of man.” 

VIII.        OUR SOUL.

A.     Your heart might be receptive to the gospel of Christ, but will it always be receptive? 

1 Tim. 4:1-2, “Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils; Speaking lies in hypocrisy; having their conscience seared with a hot iron;”  

B.     There will come a time when a person would give this entire world just for a few minutes of time and a chance to obey God’s will. 

2 Cor. 6:2, “…behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.” 

Matt. 16:26, “For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?  Or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?” 

C.     In hell there will not be any baptisteries, invitations to obey the gospel, invitation songs to encourage the lost to obey the gospel, or personal calls by concerned Christians to encourage the lost to obey the gospel. 

Heb. 9:27, “And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment:” 

Conclusion:  All of these things have been placed within our own power.  As stewards of God, are you and I being faithful to the trust that we have concerning these things?  We can only answer as individuals these crucial matters. Today, it is within the power and opportunity for each and every one of us to do the will of the Lord.   

   Have you obeyed the gospel of Jesus Christ?  If not, then you have the responsibility for your eternal welfare to do so.  It also behooves those of us who are members of the body of Christ to make sure that our life is right in the sight of the Lord. 

--Dub Mowery