I Timothy 4:8

Okay, I'm back now. Let's see if we can make some sense of this.

 

After I finished my initial workout, Ash had to do her paperwork. While reviewing and such, I realized that this "offer" was for 30 days, not 30 days. Confused? Me too! I thought one had the opportunity to try 30 days of strength-training, like the ad said. But no no no: it's all to be done in a 30 day period. Hmn. They aren't open on weekends so do those days count? They do! At Curves, you are encouraged to work out 3 times a week. So, let's do the math here. I signed up on a Tuesday; went to my first session this morning. If I go 3 times a week for the next 3 weeks that's 9, plus the 1 I had today. By their calculations, 30 days will be up on August 8, so that allows me 2 additional visits. 9+1+2=12. Subtract the 2 days that will not work since I will be out of town for vacation. That's a total of 10 days, 20 less than the promised offer. Ahh, I see now why bodily exercise profiteth little: gyms, weigh-loss clinics, and such don't really want you to attend. They want your money, your commitment, and stretch it out as long as they can—all the while promising you great results if you will just stick to it.

 

Christ, on the other hand, has promises that I can take daily, hourly, minutely advantage of—even when I go on vacation! The verse reads: …godliness is profitable to all things, having promise of the life that now is…

 

Now. Not in 6 weeks or 3 months. The promise is available to me now, this very moment. I can be trained to be like Jesus and show His attributes no matter where I am. I am not defeated before I begin because I have all of my life to learn of Him. And my profit margin is tremendous! Hmn hmn hmn. Now that is food for thought.

 

So what exactly is godliness? Per Webster, it is: Careful
observance
of, or
conformity
to, the
laws
of
God; the
state
or
quality
of
being
godly; piety. Being godly is to be like Christ. Being like Christ makes me more aware of the way I treat others, the attitudes I share about situations, and doing things the way they should be done in His eyes, not the world's.

 

"The life that now is" is the one I am a part of right now. I don't have to work out 3 times a week to see results, although I should put at least that amount of time into studying the Word and hearing what Jesus has to say to me. When I put the time into becoming godly, it is much more effective than the time spent in the gym where results can take years to show. Plus, they want you to buy all this food, the cute t-shirts, water bottles, et cetera. All the things to make you part of the crowd can be yours for the monthly payment of blah blah blah.

 

On the other hand, the only equipment I need to buy to be more like Christ is already beside me, already on my computer, already in my heart and mind. Jesus puts it like this in Matthew 6:25-34: …Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment?
²⁶
Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they?
²⁷
Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit unto his stature?
²⁸
And why take ye thought for raiment? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin:
²⁹
And yet I say unto you, That even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.³⁰
Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which to day is, and to morrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith?³¹
Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed?³²
(For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things.³³
But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.
³⁴
Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof.

 

To sum it all up, yeah, I will stick with the Curves for the rest of my trial offer. Hopefully there will be more than a little profit from it. But Jesus? I think—I know!—I will stick with Him all the way, daily putting on His righteousness, claiming His promises for much quicker results, and wearing His seal of approval on my self. Hopefully you too will see those results in me and encourage me with being more like Him.

 

Dear God:

Thank You for places like Curves that try to assist women into being in better shape physically. So many of us have needs in this area and for our health need to take better care of ourselves than we have.

 

Mostly though God, I want to thank You for investing other work out buildings that are open 24/7/365. My Bible is almost always available to me. Churches are nearly always accessible in today's time. Radio broadcasts are always on. There's no reason, no excuse for me to not take the time that I would spend physically working out and not give You the same if not more. Please help me to remember this, to apply it. I want to be with You more than 3 times a week during certain hours. I don't want to be a couch-potato Christian. Shape me up, Lord. This I pray in the name of Jesus. Amen!