Work-out at the Spiritual Gym
Therefore I do not run like someone running aimlessly; I do not fight like a boxer beating the air. No, I strike a blow to my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize.
1 Corinthians 9:26-27
We workout at the gym to keep our temporary bodies fit and we workout at the spiritual gym to keep our eternal souls fit. We exercise to try and stay physically healthy and we spiritually exercise to change our thoughts and emotions which can also improve our physical health. I go the gym six days a week for strength training and for aerobic training, and the better I feel physically and the more energy I have when ministering to people.
Working out at the spiritual gym consists of Bible study, prayer, fellowship, and ministering. We can see that going to the spiritual gym causes us to become spiritually stronger and more Christ-like. When we go to the physical gym we can see our bodies improving, health improving, and we normally feel better after each work-out, and when we go the spiritual gym we normally feel better. Therefore working out at the spiritual gym and at the physical gym keeps us spiritually healthy and helps to keep us physically healthy.
For bodily exercise profiteth little: but godliness is profitable unto all things, having promise of the life that now is, and of that which is to come. (1 Timothy 4:8) Physical exercise profits little, but that little is important because the better we feel and the more energy we have, the more motivated we can be to serve the Lord. Working out at the spiritual gym keeps our minds and hearts centered on the Lord which tends to keep us healthier. A mind filled with love and hope that replaces fear and worry, makes us healthier because our mind has great influence on our physical health.
Today know that Bible study, prayer, fellowship, and ministering to others, is developing your heart and mind for God, and making you more Christ-like, just as the physical workout slowly develops your body. Also be aware that as you workout in the spiritual gym you are also helping your physical health.
Prayer: Lord, help to spend every day working out in the spiritual gym, developing my heart and mind to be more Christ-like. Just as in physical workout I can see small improvements in my body and endurance. Let me see my spiritual growth as the love, peace, and joy fill my heart and fear from Satan decreases. Help me to see old sinful habits disappear as I become a spiritual warrior. In Jesus name, Amen