Exercising Your Faith!

 

I remember the first time I was invited to exercise.  I was a senior in high school and a friend who was a wrestler at our school, was going jogging in a nearby park.  I gladly accepted, changed into my shorts, tennis shoes and a t-shirt, grabbed a book and met him at the park.   That was back in 1980, but I can still see his face when he asked “Why did you bring a book to jog?”   My response, "I needed something to do while you ran.”  

That has been my mindset towards exercise.  Don’t get me wrong, I  tried to change my mind, but it is too much work.  I don’t like sweating, I don’t like pain, and I don’t like going to gyms where the seats are often damp from the last person who used it.  I didn’t know how to use the equipment and couldn’t afford a trainer.  (Plus, I didn’t want anyone pushing me outside my comfort level)

So in a nutshell, exercise was a  BIG NO for me.

That changed about a month and a half ago.  I have been working with a trainer; he was able to keep up with my banter and convinced me to join.  He pushes me beyond what I think I can do, and I am benefiting from it.   I don’t feel the normal pain due to sciatic issues, I am energized, feel better and sleep good.  I even sweat now.  Who knew.

 

NATURAL V/S SPIRITUAL

Just like we need natural exercise to function and be healthy, so we need spiritual exercise. We know when Jesus talked to followers; many times He would use a natural illustration to drive home a spiritual truth.  The spiritual truth kicked in for me much faster than the natural, but here is what I have been learning.  

HEBREWS 5:12-14

For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you again the first principles of the oracles of God; and you have come to need milk and not solid food.   For everyone who partakes only of milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness, for he is a babe.   But solid food belongs to those who are of full age, that is, those who by reason of USE have their senses EXERCISED to discern both good and evil.

 

We need a Spiritual Exercise Plan!   So many try to convince us of what we need to do in the natural, and that is true...but SPIRITUALLY we want to be fit, ready for every good work and able to endure to the end.  Below are a few thoughts about exercising our faith.
 

 



  

1.    EATING PLAN: Every exercise program is accompanied with an eating plan- Regular meals from the Word of God. Whether we get them in our car electronically, in church on Sundays, in our own time reading at home or in conversations with others.  We need to eat more than one time a day!  Hebrews 5 talks about how we should be teachers by now, and should be eating MEAT but we had to go back to MILK.  You should be able to increase your ability to digest the word of God.  If you are still on MILK after many years of being a Christian, you need to increase your MEAT intake so you can grow properly.  NO child should be nursing after so many years.  It is natural to grow and do more, so it is spiritually. 
 

2.    EXERCISE: Hebrews also talks about those who are of full age (mature) who by reason of USE have their senses EXERCISED to discern good and evil. This looks like DOING what is required by God in His word.  Faith without works is dead!  It is not good enough just to eat well, we need to exercise.  You may still experience  health issues while eating well, exercise helps us in so many areas.  Just like forgiving is not easy, it is a heavy load many times, but with strength training you can do it! Training yourself to forgive in little things (barbells) can equip you to one day handle something heavier.  It is better to live ready, than to get ready. (Smith Wigglesworth)   

Here are some examples of what Exercising your faith looks like:  

 

WHAT DOES EXERCISING YOUR FAITH LOOK LIKE?

•          STRETCHING- This looks like taking chances as God opens doors, getting outside your comfort zone.  Doing things out of your reach and trusting God as you do it. (Without faith it is impossible to please God)  It looks like preparing yourself to do what has seemed to be too much before.    

•          STRENGTH TRAINING- AKA Resistance training- developing strong muscles, resisting the norm and strengthening for bigger things. It looks like taking on the tasks that God gives you that seem hard to bear, and allowing HIM to ‘spot’ you while you do it in obedience.   It also looks like pushing yourself to be and do more than you thought you could.  Trust God as you open a business, deal with family issues and discipline your flesh.  (Resist the devil and he will flee from you.)

•          CARDIO- strengthens your heart and burns calories to manage weight. A lot of activities can help with cardio. This looks like having a heart for others.  Caring and praying for others, giving your time and energy for the long haul.  It is seen in patience, in agape love and in how we serve and how we forgive.   Increase the flow to your heart so that you can always treat and serve people like God wants you to.  Volunteering can burn the calories that cause us to judge each other.  It is harder to criticize those we pray for. Prayer strengthens our heart.

 

6 Benefits of Exercising Your Faith

1.    Controls weight-  Helps us to lay aside every weight and sin- Increases metabolism- you work through stuff easier without residue  or bitterness.  You can pass the waste better.

2.    Combats health conditions and dis-ease- Helps prevent heart disease, improves cardiorespiratory –  you can gain a greater heart for others, forgiving becomes  easier. Dis EASE- those things that bother you are ineffective.  You find more peace and deal better with life's issues.

3.    Improves your mood- reduces stress, depression, anxiety and improves memory. Exercising your faith will remind you of all the times God has helped you and others before.  His faithfulness will lift you! Joy is easier to come by, remember the Joy of the Lord is your strength!

4.    Increased Energy – You are better able to stay in the race- endurance (those who endure to the end shall be saved) You can trust God when the answer seems long overdue, you are still in the race, believing Him.  You are not those that 'fall away' you stay in there...by faith.

5.    Builds Muscle- you can handle more issues properly in your daily life!  God won’t put more on you than you can bear, it is heavy…. But YOU GOT THIS!  You will surprise yourself and others at the things you are able to do in Him.  (In Him we live, move and have our being)

6.    Helps you sleep better – Helps keep your mind at ease, and you can enter into peaceful eternal rest!  Don't forget, one day this will all be over.  We will REST IN HIM.

If you have no Spiritual Exercise Plan, I highly recommend it.  Knowing that I want to be ready to run and win is making me stretch myself and take on more of what God has for me to do.  Work that ministry, write that book, start that outreach project, teach that class at church, open that business.   It might seem like too much to you, but God has your back.  

 

EXERCISE YOUR FAITH!

1 Corinthians 9: 24-27     Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize.   Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last, but we do it to get a crown that will last forever.   Therefore I do not run like someone running aimlessly; I do not fight like a boxer beating the air.   No, I strike a blow to my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize.

Getting Gold and Being Gold.

Whether you are athletic or not, you gotta love the Olympics! 

The whole world coming together on one stage- competing with their best athletes to win GOLD!  Though we see the nation that is being represented, we also see individuals who have given their time and talent training to be the best.  They now are on a global stage, representing….US.

I can only imagine the things that have been sacrificed in order to share this stage.  Gatherings they didn’t go to, parties they missed, relationships that there was not enough time for and personal treats that had to be suspended during training.  Injuries and falls, scrapes and bruises, sweat and tears.  It takes a lot to be an Olympic athlete,  a lot more than it takes to be a spectator.

I was thinking about the Gold and many of our American atheletes and how they go under the microscope.  This week, I was reminded of one of my favorite scriptures. ( I have quite a few)

But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellence of the power may be of God and not of us.           

2 Corinthians 4:7

As a child, I remember taking long baths.  We would make the water with ‘Mr. Bubbles’ bubble bath and play until our hands and feet were wrinkled.  After a while, we paid a bit more attention to actually washing and something would happen around our ankles and sometimes on our arms.  We could rub the skin and it looked like dirt would come off.  We would rub harder and more would come off.  “My skin is peeling!” I thought, but it was just dirt. 

Dirt that was not there due to what I did that day, but dirt that was there due to who I was.

 

 

 

We are all made up of dirt, which is why when we die the preacher says “Ashes to ashes, Dust to dust,” We return to what we were- Dirt.  

 

Every color of dirt is represented by every color of mankind.

Red, yellow, black, brown and white!  We are all precious in His sight!
 

GETTING GOLD

But we have this treasure in earthen vessels...

Here we are, people or vessels made of dirt with something great inside us.  Something God put in every one of us is the ability to GET GOLD.

To the average person it is seen in the gifts and talents we have.  All of us have a purpose, and when we work at it, we are at our best.   So this earthen (dirt) vessel is holding treasure. (GOLD)   The way we get gold is by the work we do while in this body.  The time of honing our skills, working and being a blessing to others with the talent or gift that we have.  It is the person who works as a teacher in Middle school, who takes his/her job seriously because they are training a new generation.  The person at a checkout line, who knows they are working on behalf of another, and give it their all in customer service, or the CEO who has an idea that won’t just make him money, but help others and cause his workers to benefit as well.  Who you are and what you do give you an  opportunity to GET GOLD every day, and just like our athletes, it costs us.  It costs time, training, practice and getting over petty stuff … like whether or not people like your hair.

All of us can GET GOLD, maybe not at the Olympics, but in life.

BEING GOLD

Getting Gold is hard, it takes a lot out of us, but we can all do that. 

But being GOLD is the challenge. 

It is sad that while we have athletes clear across the world, who have sacrificed their way of living to get gold and represent us, we are petty enough to ridicule them. 

 

 

Gabby Douglas for one has had her share as a young woman of hearing the criticisms of people who are either sitting comfortably on their couch, or hiding behind their keyboard as they criticize what she wears, her hair or how she stands during the national anthem.  Honestly, I am old school.  I always place my hand over my heart, but I feel odd doing it because I have noticed that in schools and in general assemblies, they don’t do that anymore.  You may say, “But she is an American Athlete representing US.”  True, but every day you are an American representing us too.  The big difference is we have not yet made it to a global stage where people can post their opinions about all the things we do.  I for one, am glad  about that!  There is enough to remember to do on my small stage in life.  I want to be my best, without trying to please everyone, because someone will always be disappointed.

How we live and what we do says whether or not we will GET gold.  But who you are says whether or not you ARE gold.

The thing about Gold is this: 

• It holds it's value.  Whether it goes through heat, it is still GOLD.
• If it sits in cold heartless environments, it is still GOLD.
• It can be pushed in the dirt and talked about, it is still GOLD.
• It can be crushed into powder, but it is still GOLD.
• The things you say and do to it does not take it’s value away, it is still GOLD.

Part two of the same scripture reads like this:

But we have this treasure in earthen vessels that the excellence of the power may be of God and not of us.    We are hard pressed on every side, yet not crushed; we are perplexed, but not in despair;    persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed--  

2 Corinthians 4:7-9

 

When you ARE gold, you can make it through the fire.  You can deal with the hard hits that come with your reaching for gold.  You might get  depressed but not pushed off your course.  Being Gold comes from having God in you. Being gold helps you to root for someone else as they try to get gold while encouraging them so they too can be gold.

 

This is what our world needs today.  Too many kids have taken their own lives due to bullying and cyberbullying. And the really sad thing is that this bullying often comes from people who have not earned gold nor are they striving to BE gold! 

GOLD recognizes GOLD.

 

If you see someone who is working to get gold, be there to encourage them.  Be there when they deal with the critical minds and encourage them to not just get the gold, but also to be gold.  Be the person that can say encouraging things to others on their journey.  What you say about others, says more  about YOU than it does them. 

I say to Gabby Douglas and all our athletes that work hard to represent us, as well as everyday kids who dare to be different from their peers by striving to be better- GO FORWARD!  If you want to make an impact, don’t just get gold, BE GOLD.   

For all of us, let's do our best; represent our family, our community and our God well.  But most of all remember, yes… we may be tried in the fire, but we will always come out as PURE GOLD.

It's All Good! (I promise)

People think I am naïve sometimes.   I admit I can be in my attempt to believe the best in people.  I often push aside what I am thinking to listen and process what I am being told.  That often makes me look naïve.   So when someone promises me something, or tells me something that sounds suspect…. I give them the benefit of the belief….for the moment.  Of course, I may not align my life around what they say, especially if I have noticed a pattern or history that concerns me.  But for that moment at least, I am there with them.  How they do in the future lets me know if my trust has been well placed.

 Promises, Promises, Promises!

A PROMISE is defined as:   a declaration or assurance that one will do a particular thing or that a particular thing will happen:  an express assurance on which expectation is to be based

In a time that people’s word is no longer their bond, it can become difficult to hear and respond easily to what is being promised.  One reason is distrust.  If we have been burned before, we find it hard to match what you say with what you will ultimately do.  The same is true in our personal or professional lives. 

Some of us have been promised a promotion or raise, a promise to love, cherish and to be faithful, a promise to be there when you get off work, or a promise to take you somewhere great for your special day.   Sometimes promises are dropped, forgotten or simply broken.  Still we make them and try to believe when we are given a promise.  Some of us may be at the breaking point where promises are just emotionally charged lies with encouraging words.    No one wants to be lied to. 

GOD’S PROMISE

Yes we may have experienced heartbreak with people, but the bible tells us this about God and His promises:

God is not a man, that He should lie, Nor a son of man, that He should repent. Has He said, and will He not do? Or has He spoken, and will He not make it good?           Numbers 23:19

For when God made a promise to Abraham, because He could swear by no one greater, He swore by Himself,   saying, "Surely blessing I will bless you, and multiplying I will multiply you."    And so, after he had patiently endured, he obtained the promise.                   Hebrews 6:13-15

God is not like man.  Many times we will judge God based on how people have dealt with us.  If we do that, we will miss Him in so many ways.  People are always subject to bad behavior, we are always tempted to be selfish and to lie.  But God is not like us, He keeps His word.   With that said, I want to share one of His great promises.

And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.                                                           Romans 8:28

IT’S ALL GOOD!

This has always been one of my favorite promises. Maybe I love it because it almost gets me off the hook for some of the poor decisions I have made in the past.  I like the thought that the bad things I have done or that have happened to me will ultimately work out. 

I remember talking to a gentleman once about something that was going on in his life. 

It was a MESS!   He explained in details the things he was facing and the repercussions of choices he made as well as the potential future fall out from the decisions he was yet to make.   After talking in length, he calmly said “But, It’s All Good.”     I was thrown for a moment.  He may as well have said “Oh well, whatever will be will be” as if none of this had to do with him.  

I didn’t quite understand that mindset, and I mentioned it to him.  He reminded me of this scripture and said “God promised He would work this out for me.” 

Now,  I love this promise, but should I continue making bad decisions just because grace is supposed to abound?   God forbid!  It should not be a license to keep making those mistakes, especially since they still come with  consequences.    I don’t have a get out of jail free card that I can play when things get thick.  I have to live through this stuff even if I believe that God will bring it all around and make it good.  Maybe if I ask God first and take time to  make better decisions, these things will still work out, and I will be growing in the process.  

It is hard to imagine sometimes how on earth this promise can be fulfilled.  If we had to try to imagine it being ‘good’ in the midst of whatever is going bad, we wouldn’t always be able to see it, but we still have His promise.  And God keeps His promises.

I am making an effort to give God better things to work with.  Yes, the promise covers all the bad things, but if I work towards His purpose and plan with Him in mind, I still get the benefits of the promise without the rabbit trail of stuff that needs fixing. 

I love God's promise, but I also love Him and want to please Him.   Focusing on His word and what He has asked me to do, helps me in my every day life.  I can actually live a life that is good instead of just waiting for my bad to become good.  He is going to do what He said He would do, but will I?

WHAT THINGS WORK OUT?

Whatever you are dealing with today, will work  out, if you love God and are called according to His purpose.  The wrongs that have been done to you, the jobs you may have lost, and the things that make you cry.  Even in this election year, we cannot see how anything in this is going to be good later, but if you love God and are called according to His purpose, God will even make the next years good for YOU. 

Remember it shouldn't just be bad stuff working out, what about the time spent in prayer, the mentoring moments you sow into someone else, the counsel you give your kids and the money you give to charity.  Think about the good working out, not just the bad! And plan to give God more good to work with instead of just our missteps.

Don't allow past views on promises to change what you expect from God.   God said ALL things will work for our good.  I know He keeps His word, I believe Him and look for the good in everything.  Call me naïve, but I know His record and I give Him - not the benefit of my belief, but the power of my faith.  He has my future in His hands and has plans to bring me to an expected end.  So regardless to what I am dealing with or what I am planning for I now understand that .... It’s All Good!

JURY DUTY: Want To Get Out of It?

I recently spent my day in Jury duty. 

I remember the first time I was called for jury duty.  I was living in El Paso Texas, just graduated from High School and recently turned 18.  To me this was a sign that I was actually on the road to adulthood.   But when I showed up at the courthouse and gave the worker my form, she looked at my birth date, laughed and said “You just turned 18.”  After laughing and sharing my form with someone else, she sent me away.   I was released from duty.

I remember turning to look at her as I joined my mother down the hall.  “I will be back.” I thought offended that she felt I was unqualified to serve due to my age- an age that they set.

ANOTHER CHANCE

It would be many years later, after relocating to Houston, before I would be called again.  I was sooo excited!  I dressed the part, I worked around the fear of driving downtown, filled in my form early and did everything else that was required on my summons. 

Immediately people began telling me how to get out of it.  They pointed out everything that would allow me to skip it.  I heard everything from postponing it to faking sickness.  Some gave insider tips on how NOT to be chosen if you ever get interviewed. 

Everyone I spoke to had the same issues.  They hated being called to serve, they hated being paid $6 for serving, paying $6 for parking, and being asked if they wanted to donate their $6 to a cause.

They hated the inconvenience of leaving their jobs and possibly not getting paid, looking for parking, sitting in a room with strangers ,  being herded through tunnels on foot to courthouses and loaded like cattle on service elevators,  just to be given a pass to leave after hours of being there. God forbid, they get chosen to be interviewed!  Answering questions to avoid being chosen was a thin line dance!  One side might WANT you because of the answer the other side may not.

MY DAY IN COURT

After hearing all of that, I was confused, but still on target.  SOMEONE was going to choose me for this jury!  I was intentional in answering the attorney's questions.  Good sense, balance.  Someone was going to want ME on the jury. After going through the entire process- I was chosen!  I was so proud of myself!  .....Then reality set in, I had to come back. Another day off work, another day or more sitting in rooms with strangers (who by now we were bonding with due to circumstances)    

But hey, this is what I wanted.  Well long story short,  I listened with an open mind to all arguments, when it came time to decide on a verdict, I didn’t understand why everyone was sitting like they didn’t know what to do, so I spoke up.  I gave my thoughts on the case based on both arguments and others chimed in.  When we were done, we were all in unison and gave the judge our results.  It felt good to know that my simple opinion was important to someone I may never meet again. I remember leaving that courtroom and driving home. It felt good to know that my little voice made a difference TODAY.   Not in a 4 year term that I cannot control, but what we decided that day made a difference 'TODAY'.  I still remember the facts of that case and know why we voted the way we did.  All of us, different people, different walks of life, we came together that day for a common goal.

 QUALIFICATIONS TO SERVE

One thing that was different about this last service, it was the first time I paid close attention to the requirements. 

• Is at least 18 years of age;
• Is a citizen of the United States;
• Is a resident of this state and of the county in which the person is to serve as a juror;
• Is qualified under the constitution and laws to vote in the county in which the person is to serve as a juror;
• Is of sound mind and good moral character;
• Is able to read and write;
• Has not served as a petit juror for six days during the preceding three months in the county court or during the preceding six months in the district court;
• Has not been convicted of misdemeanor theft or a felony; and
Is not under indictment or other legal accusation for misdemeanor theft or a felony.

After reading these requirements it dawned on me, in that jury selection room,  I was surrounded by good, basic law abiding citizens!  From every walk of life, every nationality, every gender.  These people were basically much like me, they may not have the same beliefs I do in all things, but we were not running from the law, had not been imprisoned or in the process of being imprisoned.  We might drive a little faster than posted limits, some may not eat right all of the time, but we are the people that shape America.  Regardless to our political affiliations, we are voters and decision makers for this nation. 

YOUR VOICE MATTERS

When thinking about this in light of all who try to avoid serving, your voice is as important in the courtroom as it is at the voters booth.  How many times have you heard a verdict that you felt was biased or just plain wrong?  Maybe you have a good perspective on life and you voice that through social media, to your friends and family, or even people you are called to mentor.  Your voice is needed in more than one arena.  Someone’s justice or someone’s life may depend on a simple voice in a room that bring an honest perspective, and is willing to receive one as well.    

 

TRUE SACRIFICE:

In the video they showed us, they thanked us for our ‘sacrifice’.  The news affiliates nationwide have  been talking about what true sacrifice really is in light of the recent Political Conventions.  So naturally that word stood out to me and again, I was thinking. 

SACRIFICE... it is not really a sacrifice if I do something that benefits me or those connected directly to me.  It is only a sacrifice if what I do is at my expense and benefits others I may not know.  So yes, Jury duty is a sacrifice.  It does not benefit us at all, it pulls from our day, from our finances and benefits someone we don’t know who may or may not even appreciate our service.  

Jesus’ sacrifice benefited everyone, those who hated Him, those who killed Him, those who today reject Him.  For us, a sacrifice is seen the same way.  It can be a thankless service but it brings good to those who benefit from it.

YOU ARE SUMMONED

So next time you get that envelope in the mail, understand that it says something about YOU.  It says for the most part you are a good person.  It says that you are a citizen of this great nation that has been called to use your voice to assist someone else during a difficulty or during a disciplinary time in their life.  You have been given a chance to vote on a much smaller scale to bring justice and right a few wrongs.  It is a privilege and a sacrifice, but you are qualified to help.

If ever I am in a crunch and need someone to serve on a jury for me; since the people who know me do not qualify, I pray that if you are a thinking, loving, basic law abiding citizen who has a grasp on the real world… I pray you don’t try to get out of it.  I would hope that the best this city has to offer will be there willing and happy to hear my cause and think it through without looking at their watch.  I pray for you as you stand to serve this great country on a smaller yet so important level. 

I thank you for your sacrifice!