God's Gym

"Dear friends, you always followed my instructions when I was with you. And now that I am away, it is even more important. Work hard to show the results of your salvation, obeying God with deep reverence and fear. For God is working in you, giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases him."

Philippians 2:12-13

      If God owned a gym, I'm sure He would call it something in reference to faith. The Holy Spirit would be your personal trainer, and He would be given a customized training regiment designed to prepare you for the race He has laid out for you.

      As we read the above scripture, we know the apostle Paul was addressing the church in Philippi. The culture during the time period of this letter was that of a prosperous city with and international flair, due to it's strategic location. It was once consider the foremost city in Macedonia.
      Paul new that the infant church there, was certainly being persecuted. He wrote to encourage them in their faith, and to not get caught up in verbal sparring, but to show their faith by being obedient to God.
      Paul's message is still relevant to us today, but we far too often measure ourselves by the people around us. We are always looking at the physical traits of someones faith or we compare ourselves to "the lost", like their sub-human.
      Which is why I've always wondered why they put those huge mirrors up in a gym. They must know, we who are feeble and out-of-shape, are always comparing ourselves to the "Atlas" men and women around us. In some regards, it's rather defeating. We are all guilty of looking at what is seen, so we can feel confident we are doing well. I think Paul knew this about his friends in Philippi.  
 
      Trusting God with your life, means more than saving your skin from eternal judgement. He promises in John 10:10 that "...He came to give us life, and that we may have it more abundantly." What most of us do, is stop there. Then we begin to question "Why?"; Why would He do that for me?
      When sin entered the world, we were all genetically passed on the trait of self-love and self-worship. What we have been tricked to ignore, has been the trait of shame.
     Shame is not necessarily unavoidable, but when we begin to compare ourselves to others or even what Jesus showed us was righteous living, we immediately feel shame.
     Satan is really clever when it comes to this emotion. It doesn't take much of a push to get us steamrolling down this path. All he has to do, is make us doubt.
     Doubt is a good thing, when it causes you to question and seek the truth. It becomes divisive when we allow it to turn to unbelief. That is why Solomon says in Proverbs 3:5-6 to "...lean not on your own understanding." Our minds and our hearts are wicked, genetically.
    So why is it so hard to trust God? Why do I doubt He really cares THAT MUCH for me?

    Let's step away from scripture for a moment, and look at the ginormous industry of fitness and weight-loss.
    One of the main reasons our society is over-weight and out-of-shape is the invention of modern convenience. We are all guilty of justifying our gadgets, cars, favorite fast-food. We may even think up new ways to make easy and quick, quicker and easier.
    What we don't realize, is that we are falling into Satan's hands with our slothful, gluttonous ways. We begin to buy in to the lie that "we deserve it." Then one day we wake up, look in the mirror, and ask "What happened?" Or we take a walk, (foreign concept these days, I know), up a hill or a flight of stairs. We stop somewhere between the bottom and the top gasping for air like someone was sitting on our chest.
    We watch programs like "Biggest Loser" and secretly wish someone would knock on your door, and kick our butt into shape like one of those TV trainers.

    When you give your life over to God, I believe that is what He is trying to accomplish. When we profess with our mouth Jesus is Lord and fall under His Lordship in our life; we are asking Him to reprogram our thinking and whip us into His masterpiece.
     Why? What for?
    Since the beginning of time, God the Father, has been calling all of creation back into fellowship with Him. He even gave up His only Son to express how much He loves it. He has invited US, creation made in His image, to take on His yoke in bringing redemption to all of creation.
Can He use us in the stained, broken, out-of-shape condition we are in? No.
    Now if I stopped right there, Satan would have a field day, and back the truck of shame up and dump it all over us. But I won't.....because our Father who lives in heaven desires to wash away our past, forgive our future, and cover us in the blameless and righteous blood of His Son Jesus Christ......But He doesn't stop there!!
    He then begins to use circumstances, testing, trials, and pain to refine us back into His image. Sin did more than just destroy our relationship with God, it destroyed the whole of creation. Only through sacrifice and pain, do we remember and learn.

    Paul addresses to the Philippians the need to work out their salvation for themselves. No one will do it for us. Just like in the gym, no matter how good your trainer is, you will not begin to transform your body, until you do the work.
    Be careful not to interpret me saying we must work to earn our salvation. No, we must be obedient to the plan God has for our life, and work hard in His instruction. Salvation is a free gift. Our work-out regimen is not mandatory. But when God enters your life, He is not content with you being anything less than the best you can be. He will not stop pursuing you, until you fully surrender to Him having His way with you.

"Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us."

 Hebrews 12:1 

Vegetables Vs. Chocolate Cake...How do you define your faith?

Once upon a time there was a boy, who later grew to be a man.....

Seems like everybody's story begins this way. At some point we learn the truth, and our world no longer seems fairy tale.

As teens, we discover the hard truth about our parents. These super humans aren't really who we believed them to be. Somehow we are able to pull back the curtain, and discover their true identity. Instead of super, they quickly transform to human. Flawed, frail, and filled with anxiety. Did they mean to misrepresent themselves? Maybe, but as a parent myself, sometimes no matter who you think you are, your children still see you as greater than you feel.

Through all my struggles, failures, and times I've stood in compromise; I've learned God still sees a perfect masterpiece. Why? Is He blind? Does He even know who I am? Does He keep me down, just so I have a need for Him, like some sort of overlord? Maybe I'm not a man at all, but a little boy still looking for superheroes.

The truth is, He sees us as righteous and perfect because of the blood of Christ Jesus. Jesus's sacrifice on the cross of Calvary built a bridge between our sinful selves and the holiness of God the Father. When God looks at us He sees Jesus. I'm so thankful for that.

In the last blog post, I wrote about the filter we use to see and hear God. Just as our children see and hear God through their superheros, God knows us through the filter of Christ Jesus our Lord. Without Him, God couldn't have the relationship that He once had in the garden of Eden. 

Paul says this in his letter to the church in Rome:

 "I don’t really understand myself, for I want to do what is right, but I don’t do it. Instead, I do what I hate." Romans 7:15(b)

A parable I've read recently, I think addresses the issue of brokenness in our hearts:(a) 

"A rabbi and his young disciple sat side by side under the shade of a large oak tree.    "Help me, Rabbi," said the disciple. "I am a double-minded man. The law of the Lord tells me, 'The Lord is my Shepherd and I shall not be in want.' But oh, how I want!"    The rabbi's face revealed a trace of a smile, but he remained silent.    "And Rabbi," said the younger man, "the law of the Lord tells me that my soul finds rest in God alone. But oh, how my soul finds rest in everything else!"    The rabbi's face revealed the same trace of a smile, but still he remained silent.    "And Rabbi," said the student, "the man after God's own heart told us to ask and seek after only one thing--to gaze upon the beauty of the Lord and seek Him in His temple. But my heart seeks after so many things." The student lowered his voice to a whisper. "And the beauty I secretly gaze upon brings me shame. How will I ever become a man after God's own heart when I am so unfaithful?"     With this the rabbi let go of all constraint and began to laugh, his eyes sparkling. "My son," said the rabbi. "Listen to the story I am about to tell you."     "Long ago, a skylark flew above the parched and desolate ground of the desert. Times were hard for all living things, and worms were not easy to come by for a creature of the air. Even so, the skylark sang a winsome song day after day as he sought his daily portion. As each day passed, the difficulty of finding food grew more extreme. In his hunger he began to grow restless. And in his restlessness he forgot how to sing."    The rabbi paused for a moment, wiped his brow, and exhaled deeply. The student sat attentively on the edge of his seat but wondered what this story had to do with becoming a man after God's own heart.    In a whisper the rabbi continued. "One day the skylark heard an unfamiliar voice. It was the voice of a traveling peddler, and the skylark could not believe what the peddler seemed to be selling. 'Worms! Worms! Mouthwatering Worms!' cried the peddler. "Come right up and get your delicious worms today!' Incredulous at this sudden good fortune, the skylark hopped closer to the peddler, drawing nearer to this manna from heaven.     "'Worms today! Two worms for one feather!' said the peddler. A the mention of worms, the skylark felt the pang of hunger, and suddenly he understood. My feathers are many, thought the skylark, imagining the taste of the worms in his beak. Surely I will not miss just two small feathers. So, unable to resist any longer, the skylark plucked two of his smallest feathers and surrendered them to the peddler, who, unbeknownst to the skylark, was the unholy one in disguise.     "As promised, the skylark had his choice of the fattest, juiciest worms he had ever seen. And all without needing to dig and claw in the unyielding ground! So the skylark took hold of four glistening worms and swallowed them. Such small sacrifice, yet such great reward, the skylark told himself. Two small feathers is no concern to me. With his stomach full, the skylark stepped from his high perch and began to soar. And as he did, he began to sing once again.     "The next day the skylark swooped and sang until he met the nefarious peddler once again. Just as before, the peddler offered two worms for one feather. So the skylark feasted on the luscious worms until he had his fill. And so it went day after day. Times were still hard for all living things, and worms were still not easy to come by for creatures of the air.    "One day, after finishing the worms, the skylark attempted to take flight. Instead of soaring, he plummeted to the ground with a thud. Stunned but grateful to be a live, the skylark realized he had no more feathers. Of course, he could no longer fly."     The rabbi paused for so long that the disciple thought the story was over. He responded to his teacher by saying he would ponder the meaning of the story.     "Ah, but the story continues," said the rabbi. Sitting down, he exhaled deeply again. "Once the skylark realized he had given up his feathers and could not fly, he came to his senses," said the rabbi. "Desperate, he hopped and stumbled through the desert, gathering worms. A small one here, a small one there. After several days of striving and toil, he had a small pile of worms and returned to the peddler. 'Here are enough worms to exchange for my feathers--I need them back.'     "The devil, however, just laughed and said, 'You can't get your feathers back! You got your worms, and I've got your feathers. And after all, a deal is a deal!' And with that, he disappeared into thin air."    As the rabbi finished speaking, the young apprentice noticed a tear running down his teacher's cheek. "Rabbi, why the tear?" the disciple asked.     "The heart of God breaks when we give away our feathers for worms," the rabbi answered. "But even more, His heart breaks when we try to buy our feathers back. For only God can restore our feathers."     After a long silence the disciple asked, "And Rabbi, why were you laughing before you told me the story?" The rabbi turned, his moist eyes now twinkling again. "I laughed with joy because I have seen your heart. In your heart there is a song. And with your heart you will learn to fly."

Another way to illustrate this, is to ask you a question: If you were hungry and you had to choose between two things, a bowl of vegetables or a bowl of chocolate cake, which would you choose?
Just saying the word chocolate has already taken us to some place magical with oompa loompas or the joys of birthday parties. Or maybe you think of a guilty pleasure that seems like no big deal.
But what goes through your mind when you think of celery sticks and carrots? Maybe you are reminded of how you always pigged out at the salad bar at a buffet or maybe you think of potluck dinners where someone always brings veggies and dip. Or maybe you shudder at the thought of them because you were always made to eat your vegetables.
If we look at them side-by-side, we notice two things. The chocolate cake is a slice of heaven only to be regrettable when we step on a scale. Where the vegetables may not taste great, but they are great for you.
Just like in the parable we all know what is right and good, but we want what we want when we want it.
Somehow this mindset, almost never leads to long-term benefits.
What I've learned about myself, is that I treat God much the same way. Trusting God through obedience and righteousness isn't fun, but it is what is best. Taking what we want when we want it, gives us power and pleasure that will eventually ruin us.
Whether, your addicted to gambling, eating, porn, or compulsive shopping; these are all symptoms to a greater dilemma.
Adam and Eve had this problem. Everything was simply brilliant, until the serpent told them what they wanted to hear. "God is not telling you everything. He only told you not to eat of the fruit, because He didn't want you know as much as Him." Sounds like Satan is describing an overlord, not God.
What did Adam and Eve do? They bought it, hook-line-and sinker.
Every time we give in to the lies of the deceiver, we erode our intimacy with God. Our filter becomes our experience and understanding, rather than trust and obey.
Let me be clear....God didn't move, YOU did!
The grace of God is there waiting patiently for you to return to Him. What empty wells do you turn to, when God doesn't microwave His blessings? The more you nuke the promises of God into the lies of Satan, the harder it will be for you to hear clearly, without a feeling of worthlessness and shame.
God does not produce shame, nor does He claim your worthlessness. That is from the deceptive lies of Satan himself.
Jesus illustrates this beautifully in the parable of the lost son in Luke 15:11-32. The son wanted his inheritance NOW, so his father gave it to him. He left home and squandered it all on the pleasures he found, only to find himself begging for pig slop just to survive. So he decided to return home with his tail between his legs. While he was still a ways away, his father saw him and rushed out to his son, and hugged him. He demanded the best robes and food for his son was lost, but now he is found.
God is the dad and we are the lost son. His grace doesn't shame you because of your past, nor does it reject you because you don't measure up. YOU ARE GOD'S WORKMANSHIP!! He knew you before you were in your mother's womb.(C) You are known by Him!! Walk upright for the joy of the Lord is your strength.
Watch this video from Bill Cosby about his experience with manipulation and deceit. Notice all of the lies he tells himself, just so he can get what he wants when he wants it. I'm just thankful God does not deal with us like his wife would.