2-10-2020

Good Morning All, 

    Ephesians 4:12; “to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ”

    Do you have a regular exercise program that you follow?  I’d like to say “Yes, I do” but that would be a stretch, a fabrication, a distortion; actually, an out and out lie.  I know I should.  It would be nice to see the numbers get smaller rather than bigger.  It would be nice to not have the nurse at my doctor’s office shake her head.  I know I need to exercise more but I am in pretty good shape for the shape I am in; or so I thought.

    My wife and I are very blessed to get to spend time with our grandchildren.  We love every minute of it, but we are thankful when they go home.  I am in awe of my sons and their families and the pace that they keep.  I get winded watching them.  I am pretty sure that is why you have babies when you are young.  But now I have a challenge; I want to keep up with them so now I will have to do a better job sticking to an exercise program.

    Our faith walk is often like this.  We know we aren’t always as faithful as we should be about prayer and devotion time.  We may even stretch it a little if we talk to our pastor about how much time we spend.  (You really don’t have to; he is probably stretching his as well.)  Then we think that we are in pretty good shape for the shape we are in.  We think we know others who are in worse shape than we are.  But then something happens and our somewhat flabby and out of shape faith body gets shook to the core.  A sudden health scare, a job shake-up, a sudden tear in a relationship, a car accident, or any of several things can throw you for loop and you realize how out of shape your faith life is.

    So, what we must do is engage in an exercise program just like our bodies.  I really need to cut down on my sweet tooth.  I love pie and cake and cookies, but they really make me soft.  I need to avoid them.  Perhaps in your faith life, there are people or places or activities that you need to avoid as well.  Maybe it is the local gossip club, or maybe a chatty neighbor, or maybe there are some sites on the internet that it would be better for you to avoid.  Avoiding temptation is important in any good exercise program, physical or spiritual.

    The next thing is that it is important to begin to work the body as well, to begin to shape it up so it is equipped to do those tasks that need to be done.  Walking is a good exercise and so are sit-ups.  These are two easy and cheap activities.  They both help tone and strengthen the body.  It can be hard to do though.  You usually have to start slow and work your way up.  The important thing is to form the habit of exercise.  Most experts claim that if you do the same routine for 21 days.  So, what we need to do for our faith life is engage in some exercise like prayer and devotional time, reading and studying Scriptures.  Try it for 21 days and see if it becomes a habit to help shape up your faith body.  So, when trouble strikes, you are in better shape to withstand it.

Dearest Father, please help to shape my life and strengthen me to withstand life’s struggles.  In Jesus’ precious name we pray, amen.

God’s Peace,

Pastor Bret