While bodily training is of some value, godliness is of value in every way, as it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come.
--1 Timothy 4:8
I see people all the time outside jogging, running, and biking down the street. That’s great, because it’s important for us to take care of our bodies. I just wonder sometimes if these people care as much about staying in good spiritual shape as they do about staying in good physical shape.
For the Christian, it’s not an either/or situation. As we have discussed over the last few days, the Bible urges us to stay in top shape both physically and spiritually.
It’s a matter of having balance in life. We make an effort to work out and stay in shape so that we can live longer, healthier, and more productive lives. The same should be true spiritually.
Having strong, healthy bodies prepares us to deal with the physical world we live in. In much the same way, strengthening our spirits through regular times of prayer, Bible study, worship, and service to the Lord will prepare us for the spiritual atmosphere of heaven, where we will worship and serve the Lord forever!
Just as athletes do, we must practice to be ready for the big game, which in our case is heaven! We’re practicing for the big event, so let’s give the Lord our best today—whether it’s in our prayer life, the study of His Word, or our service. Practice hard every day, and you’ll be prepared and in shape when the time comes to enter heaven.
Don’t neglect your daily spiritual workout!
Make time for your spiritual workout every day!
by Dr. Paul Chappell
“For this thing I besought the Lord thrice, that it might depart from me. And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ’s sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong.”
2 Corinthians 12:8–10
Someone said that the three hardest words to say in the English language are, “I need help.” We don’t like to say those words because we don’t like having to admit that we don’t have everything under control. The world (and sadly sometimes the church) places a great premium on having everything together. As the old commercial put it, the prevailing attitude is, “Never let them see you sweat.” Yet in truth, all of us face trials and troubles that are beyond our ability to resolve. We must have Divine help—and that requires an admission that we need help in the first place.
When the disciples asked Jesus to teach them to pray, He gave them what is commonly called the Lord’s Prayer. Then He illustrated what our attitude in prayer should be with the story of a man who unexpectedly had company arrive late at night and was forced to ask his neighbor for help: “For a friend of mine in his journey is come to me, and I have nothing to set before him?” (Luke 11:6).
How hard is it for us to say to God “I have nothing”? But unless and until we reach that point, we will not receive His help. God had Gideon send home more than thirty thousand soldiers until only three hundred remained. With that small group, God worked a miracle of deliverance and victory (Judges 7). When we reach the end of ourselves and God is involved, nothing is impossible.
Today’s Growth Principle:
When we reach the point where we have only God to rely on, we can begin to see Him work.
|
No comments:
Post a Comment