Saturday, March 22, 2008

Inner-man fitness

Ephesians 3:16-17 that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with might through His Spirit in the inner man, that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith
 
1 Corinthians 9:26-27 Therefore I run thus: not with uncertainty. Thus I fight: not as one who beats the air. But I discipline my body and bring it into subjection, lest, when I have preached to others, I myself should become disqualified.
 
We live in a time when physical health and exercise is valued.  My daughter, in fact, dedicates her professional life to personal fitness training in a gym.  She spends much time planning the specific exercise routines for her clients because they have unique goals and needs for physical health.  We hear a great deal about nutrition, diet, devices that will tone our muscles and improve our appearance.  We are intrigued by gadgets that will sculpt our bodies into "adonis-like" perfection, with a minimum of time and effort (though the cost in dollars may be significant).  But I am challenged this morning to work on a different kind of fitness:  "Inner man" fitness  This is the kind of health that focuses on my walk with God.  I need to train my eyes to see the invisible hand of God, my hands to function as part of the body of Christ, my feet to carry the message of eternal life, and my heart to be filled with the presence of my loving Lord.  It won't be easy because many distractions seek to dissuade me, but I know that no other cause will truly satisfy and, one day, when I am with Jesus I will be most pleased to have developed this aspect of my life.  (Even more than having "perfect abs"...or "running a marathon".)
 
blessings,
Rob Smith

No comments:

Post a Comment