Wednesday

Commit to Regular Exercise

One of the ways we train for godliness is by maintaining our physical health. The truth is, your body was not designed for inactivity. God created you to be active. Even a daily walk will make a difference in your physical well-being and your spiritual well-being.

One thing I have noticed is that most of us are convinced but not committed. We know that exercise is good for us. We are convinced of that, but that doesn't mean we are committed to exercise.

What is the common excuse? "I don't have the time.'

Let me ask, do you have time to be sick? If you don't make time for exercise, you'll probably be forced to make time for an illness. Is that how you want to spend your time?

What is the common mistake? We overdo it at the start. We've been looking at how physical health will help us reach our destiny during the next decade. Some of you might have already said, "I'm going to get in shape if it kills me!"

We have the philosophy that if something is good, then more is better. We've been out of shape for several years, but then we try to get in shape in one week! And so we work ourselves to death, get totally exhausted and, as a result, we wear out quickly and give up.

The key is training not straining. If you want to get in shape fast, exercise longer, not harder. And that will help you stay committed to a consistent, regular exercise program.

This devotion has a clear message: be active as a Christian. Since we are Christians, God wants us to be active as a Christian. If we want to be a better Christian, you have to be active. We cannot just make excuses that we can't do it. Then when we do something like games, why aren't we making an excuse for that? We should practice the word of God daily, but not overdo it. If we overdo it, we may get too tired and just give up. So, we should be exercising his word daily, but God doesn't want us to overdo it. We can just take a few steps a day, and then we can try to take it further. Then we can stay committed to being a Christian.

this is just truth and human tendencies. we all know exercise is good for us but that doesnt mean we do it. people often start out really intense and then fizzle out really quickly. its like dry bark versus a big, thick branch or log. the bark will light up very fast and it will burn brightly for a short while, but then its fizzles out into nothingness. the thick branch will slowly catch fire but it will last and keep up a steady flame for much longer. starting an unrealistically intense routine is comparable to the bark and starting out slowly and steadily is comparable to the thick branch. i have a huge problem with this. all of my workout/fitness/ or really, any goal setting that i do- history leads me to believe that a) im kinda dumb and b) i start out way too fast and then die really soon. my problem is that i want results really fast, and at first (before i actually DO anything) I convince myself that somehow I'm going to be able to keep it up. then when i actually start doing it (exercise, stretching, drinking soy milk- dont ask, etc.) i realize how hard it is and my resolve completely melts away. Basically, we should start out slow but we should also always push ourselves and try to do more as our endurance and physique improves. realistically none of us can take 5 minutes of walking and count that as our "exercise" because we "can't do anything else". chances are, yes you can. and people also tend to try to tell themselves that they can't do things that they are capable of doing. exercising is going to be pretty terrible (unless you're a lucky freak of nature who enjoys it) but you have to push through it if you don't want your time to be wasted. sorry, i think that was a little off topic. what im saying is that you should push yourself, but it should a realistic and maintainable "pushing yourself".

Both striving to learn more about God and becoming like Him, and physical exercise are disciplines. In order for us to see progress in ourselves, we have to dedicate time and effort and truly be motivated to reach the goal, whether it be developing a closer relationship with God or getting in shape. Training ourselves to be physically fit teaches us important lessons: taking small steps to reach goals, not giving up, and being committed even when you don't feel like doing it. All of these lessons apply to spiritual discipline (as a recent devo said- exercise is a spiritual discipline) in becoming closer to God. As an extreme example, one can not go from being a non-Christian one day to becoming the pastor of a Church the next (unless God wills it), as growing in the Lord is a process that takes time and dedication to the goal. Not giving up- this is another lesson that applies in a Spiritual context- for example, doing daily devotions every day may eventually feel repetitive, but continuing with it slowly brings our hearts and minds closer to God. The last lesson also really applies to doing daily devos. On days when I stay up late doing homework I sometimes feel that I have a good excuse of skipping devos, but committing every day is what builds the good habit of spending time with our God every day.

God created us not only to be spiritually active, but physically as well! Our bodies are part of His kingdom, as mentioned in last weeks devos. We should always treat our bodies with respect and exercise on a regular basis in order to maintain healthy bodies. It is not as easy as it seems, and we all know by now that being active is not something we can just do in a blink of an eye. It takes time, and we all have to start realizing that if we do want "results" in terms of looking better or even feeling better about ourselves, we must take time to really pace ourselves and be active on a regular basis more gradually as opposed to instantly trying to get results! Always remember, that whatever we do, whether it be physically being active, having fun, working hard, etc. to always do it for the glory of God and to please Him!                                

I fun that there should be no excuse for most things when time becomes an issue.
Not just in exercise, but things are achievable if you know what you want the most and will focus in the most. Time cannot be given back to you so with the time you are given, make use of it. Don't be the person who looks back and is filled with regret.
If something is good for you, make time for it and set your priorities straight.
One problem that most have at this age is distractions which will prevent you from doing many things.

So this reflects back on one of our past Sunday sermons:
What are you willing to sacrifice?

I've been trying to work on that especially these past two weeks.
Be strong and consistent when making that decision to change a bad habit.

~Audrey~

loool i can relate to this.
First time i went to the gym, my friend helped me out a lot but by the end of the week, my body was sooo sore. The hardest thing to do is staying committed. We all know that exercise is good but why do we not do it. We may feel lazy, or we may want to do something else instead of exercise. there are several ways to inspire yourself to exercise. ONe would be to watch twilight and see how ripped taylor lautner is. Another thing you can do is schedule yourself and MAKE yourself exercise. Obviously its easier said then done and when we say exercise it doesnt mean go to the gym. Even a simple walk will do so if you walk to school or whatever, sickkk your exercising. Its just never good to sit in your basement and league all day if you know wha ti mean

1 Thessalonians 3

7-10: Therefore, brothers, in all our distress and persecution we were encouraged about you because of your faith. For now we really live, since you are standing firm in the Lord. How can we thank God enough for you in return for all the joy we have in the presence of our God because of you? Night and day did we pray most earnestly that we may see you again and supply what is lacking in your faith.
13: May he strengthen your hearts so that you will be blameless and holy in the presence of our God and Father when our Lord Jesus comes with all his holy ones.

For starters, as Paul sent Timothy to hear from the Thessalonian church, it reminded me of how God gave His son for us, except the fact that nothing could be capable to that... Anyways, I felt that verses 7 through 10 really showed Paul's love for their church and the significance of prayer. "We pray to supply what is lacking in your faith." Basically whatever they struggled with, Paul obviously lets God to "take the wheel" as he provides prayer. From my perspective, God strengthens our hearts by ALLOWING for us to struggle. Legit, what doesn't kill you makes you stronger. But He doesn't give us more than what we could handle, as that wouldn't make much sense. Furthermore, it's not like we fight the battle alone with God. As a praise team, we struggle together and we rejoice together, and chill together, and make fun of patrick together, etc. As we lift each other up, we have to keep our eyes fixed upon God, to remind ourselves what the main goal is.

mhmmhmmhmmmm curry rice on friday

This relates to last weeks' series of devotions, about maintaining our physical body, since it is also a temple for the Holy Spirit in us.
Our bodies do not belong ONLY to us; it belongs to God, since we are created in God's image and likeness.

This devotional is saying that physical health is also just as important as our spiritual health!
I, personally, know that I'm not as active as I wish, but this shows my lack of motivation to care for the body God has given me.
I am, in a way, neglecting the gift God has given me, by neglecting my physical health.

This gave me some things to think about, and to reconsider.