Thank the Lord my efforts with God are far greater than my effort in exercise and staying fit.

-me

I’ve been thinking about effort lately. My effort in staying fit. My effort in relationships. My effort in the relationship I have with God. My effort in containing the rage I have for motorcyclists who put themselves and others in harms way. The effort of God’s people to help others, whether brother or sister in Christ or not. The effort of the nation to resolve the real issue of lack of racial equality.

Are we there yet?

Every week I wonder if this will be the week. Will I finally actually do something remotely close to “exercise”? Every week I don’t – unless you’re counting the struggle and pride I take in carrying in all the groceries from the car to the house in a single load. Every week I say I’d feel better physically and probably even mentally if I just put some effort in exercise. Isn’t effort related to motivation? Why isn’t wanting to feel better enough? I want to feel better, but it requires me to put in effort I don’t feel like doing.

I think that’s how we feel about a lot of things. We tend to believe that that WANT is enough to accomplish all we want.

Can I confidently say that my effort I put in to God is greater than that I put into exercise? Exercise and following Jesus’ way both have suffering involved. They both rely on us getting up and doing something, not sitting down or rolling around on the floor (I doubt this is something Jesus would command.) I’m not in dire need of exercise, I’m healthy and I don’t have issues and I feel fine in general. It just probably wouldn’t hurt to have some exercise going for me. What I do need is God and for Him to lead me the way He wants. I need God to get through my day because life is hard enough (and that’s without exercising!!) but God takes my burdens and I can focus on His work and not the life I have in this world.

God performs miracles every day. He has the power and will to change our lives, change our minds when we put faith in Him alone. Exercise doesn’t change your life as quickly, it takes work over and over before you get any real changes.

Anyway, what I’m really asking is… Where can we be putting out efforts this week?

Listen to Know You More by Chris August HERE on Spotify 🙂