Personal Trainer
I started a healthy journey two years ago and one of the things that I have learned that impacted my life is that the only one responsible for my health is myself. You may think, "but that's so obvious" and well not everyone thinks like that because the first thing anyone that starts going to the gym is to find excuses on people or situation as to why they ate so much, or why they missed the gym and gain weight when in reality the only one at fault it's ourselves for it.
That's how our spiritual life looks like, we know we have to do a few things for our relationships with God to be better but we put excuses and blame other things when actually the one at fault is ourselves.
If we are talking about the gym, in order to get better physically you have to work out and nobody can work out for you. If we are talking about our relationship with God, no one can work it out for you, that's on you and only you.
1 Timothy 4:7–8 ESV
7 Have nothing to do with irreverent, silly myths. Rather train yourself for godliness; 8 for while bodily training is of some value, godliness is of value in every way, as it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come.
1 Timothy 4:7–8 ERV
7 People tell silly stories that don’t agree with God’s truth. Don’t follow what these stories teach. But teach yourself to be devoted to God. 8 Training your body helps you in some ways. But devotion to God helps you in every way. It brings you blessings in this life and in the future life too.
People tell silly stories that don’t agree with God’s truth. Don’t follow what these stories teach.
Most of us at some point in our lives have let irreverent and silly myths take over our minds and hearts.
What are those?
Lie: Obey our parents is boring
Truth: Ephesians 6:1-3 - Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. 2 “Honor your father and mother” (this is the first commandment with a promise), 3 “that it may go well with you and that you may live long in the land.”
Lie: You are ugly.
Truth: Jeremiah 1:5 - Before I formed you in the womb I knew you.
Psalm 139:14 - I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works; my soul knows it very well.
Lie: Not feeling enough.
Truth: John 3:16 So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them.
Lie: Feeling like nobody understands you.
Truth: Hebrews 4:15 - Jesus, our high priest, is able to understand our weaknesses. When Jesus lived on earth, he was tempted in every way. He was tempted in the same ways we are tempted, but he never sinned.
For every lie that people have told us or we have told ourselves, there is a Bible verse telling us the actual truth, because what God think about us is always better.
Rather train yourself for godliness/devote yourself to God.
Devotion is the act of dedicating yourself and everything about you to God.
Ancient Greek and Roman culture put a high value on physical exercise. Paul was telling Timothy that the same work and commitment that others put towards physical exercise should be put toward the pursuit of godliness.
Godliness means having the character and attitude of God.
The truth is that training your body takes effort, work, and commitment, BUT are we putting the effort, work, and commitment towards our relationship with God?
Because as the verse says training your body is of some value but godliness is of value in every way, as it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come.
That's because even if you train your body, and you are healthy, all those things are temporary but godliness and devotion to God lead are eternal.
Being Christian is not a title is a Lifestyle.
- Now how do we train ourselves in godliness or devotion to God.
1 ) Reading the Bible :
Why is it so important to read the Bible?
You are what you read.
The Bible shows us God’s character and provides us with God’s revelation of himself to his people. In each chapter of the Bible, we see God’s holy, unchanging, faithful, gracious and loving character.
2 Timothy 3:16, NLT: "All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right.”
2) Praying
It’s impossible to know someone if you don’t spend time with them. Prayer is an opportunity to spend time with God.
In John 15:15, Jesus says He no longer calls us his servants but calls us His friends. That means that what God wants is a relationship with us, He called us friends.
Praying doesn’t have to sound pretty or poetic , it has to be honest.
It's not about the quantity but it's more about the quality, because if you prayed for hours but your heart wasn’t there and you only repeated words without meaning to you, then let me ask you, how was the quality of that prayer? Does it sound like someone that wants to spend time with God or is doing it because he has to?
3 ) Worshiping
People tend to ask " Why do I have to Worship God ? " and that question is totally wrooooong. The right question is, "Why not worship God ?". Worship is one of the ways that we have to show our love for God. Worship is not only singing at church, we can worship with our lives, in everything we do, doing it as if we were doing it for God. We worship God because that’s why we were created, we were created to worship.
Ok, but what if I can do this alone?
That why God gave us the Holy Spirit He is our helper (personal trainer)
John 14:26 - But the Helper will teach you everything and cause you to remember all that I told you. This Helper is the Holy Spirit that the Father will send in my name.
