Fit or Flabby
January 29, 2007
Bible Reading: “I discipline my body like an athlete, training it to do what it should” ~ 1 Corinthians 9:27
Bonus Reading: 1 Corinthians 9:24-27
When I graduated from high school at 17 years old, my athletic career had primarily been as a long distance runner and motocross rider. With my 38 jacket, standing 6′2″ tall, I was the proverbial “bean pole” - not a lot of meat on my bones. Soon after taking up residence in a Marine Corps company in the Corps of Cadets barracks at Texas A&M, I discovered I needed more muscle, so, I began weight training and within a couple years had built a substantially larger frame.
I learned that, if growth was take place, it was essential to really push my muscles past what was comfortable in order to build them and get stronger. Consistency was also a big-time key, as I had to lift weights three to four times a week. Without consistency I would lose the fruit of my previous efforts. In short, I would get sore, but not get stronger, faster, or bigger. What a life lesson!
Building faith in our Lord is remarkably like weight lifting. If we only opened our Bibles on Sunday, we would remain perpetual 98-pound spiritual weaklings. However, if we read and meditate over God’s Word every day, invoking the Presence and help of the Holy Spirit, asking Him to speak to us through the Scripture, we build a muscular, hard, healthy spiritual person. Otherwise, we remain soft and vulnerable - much as I discovered I was in the Marine barracks. We are at the mercy of our circumstances without recourse - and it’s no one’s fault but our own.
Becoming a “Mr. Universe” in the spiritual realm requires daily training to build up the faith muscles. Do we give God the time He needs to make us grow?
This is the time of year many of us think about getting in shape. Perhaps we should consider exactly what kind of shape our spiritual person is in and why. Are we spiritually fit - or flabby?
Our Response: How healthy is our workout regimen of Scripture reading and prayer? Do we study alone and in the company of God’s people?
Think about it: Care for your body as though you were going to live forever. Care for your soul as if you were going to die tomorrow. ~St. Augustine of Hippo
Grace and peace,
Chip+
Content or contentious?
January 4, 2007
“I hated all my labor in which I had toiled under the sun.” Ecclesiastes 2:18
King Solomon, who had studied diligently and worked hard for worthwhile earthly goals, realized that at his death his fortune would go to people who had not worked for it and might misuse it. This caused him to become resentful because of all the “sorrowful” days and sleepless nights (2:23) he had invested. He’s not alone in feeling this way.
A highly successful lawyer said once he often wonders why he works so hard. He said his sons and daughters had been misusing his money and making a mess of their lives. He knows they will probably waste everything he leaves them. Another man who had worked hard and managed his money well said sadly, “All my hard work! And my kids can hardly wait for me to die.”
Solomon, however, did not remain in this dejected state. He found meaning and satisfaction through faith in God. He said that inner contentment is a gift of God to His children. This enables them to enjoy the fruit of their labor (v.24). God replaces frustration with contentment, if we seek Him first and foremost in everything we do!
The more room we give to God in our lives, the more we will have “wisdom and knowledge and joy” (v.26). Paul summed it up this way: “Godliness with contentment is great gain” (I Timothy 6:6).
O Lord, help us to be content
With all that we possess;
And may we show our gratitude
With heartfelt thankfulness.
Close your devotional time by meditating on these thoughts: Contentment is the soil in which true joy thrives. Are we content with the blessings God has given us, or contentious because we are not getting what we want?
Grace and peace,
Chip+
