Fitness and Focus

I haven’t ridden my bike in about two weeks.  Since school started, I’m not riding to the office every day like I was, and our evenings and weekends have been busy.  Last Thursday (the one day I can ride to the office), my back was hurting from working on the deck, so I wimped out and drove the truck.  I didn’t even go on a prayer ride last week.  Well, I decided to ride this morning.  It’s a lot different now that school is in session.  I have to include school buses in the hazards to watch out for.  It is amazing how it took me all summer to really get in shape and only two weeks to get out of it.  Let me tell you, I was sucking wind this morning (and a pretty cool wind at that – it was 51 degrees on my ride in).  I had told myself when I got in shape, I was going to maintain it, but I let busyness and circumstances get in the way of exercise.

I think it’s that way with our spiritual lives, as well.  In order to grow spiritually, we must daily walk with God.  We need to be consistent, not sporadic.  We can’t let busyness and the stuff that life throws at us get in the way of our relationship with God.  I have found that when I am consistent in my walk with God, I am able to listen to Him much better.  I begin to see patterns of what He is teaching me.  When I constantly abide in Him, my faith is stronger and I am more ready and willing to obey whatever the Lord wants me to do.  In fact, when I am walking with God, I remain spiritually fit and ready for action at any time.  I find that my focus and purpose are much clearer, and generally other things in my life begin to fall in place better.  As a comparison, when I was riding my bike everyday, it didn’t kill me the day I rode 19 miles, instead of my regular 7.  My daily exercising had prepared me to be able to stand up to the challenge.  In addition, when I left my career in the meat industry to accept the calling into the ministry, I was spiritually fit to make that decision and I didn’t think twice.  On the other hand, when I am sporadic and inconsistent in spending time with God, I’m not in the proper spiritual shape to listen, much less obey.  In these times, I really don’t give God a chance to build my faith and work through me.  I begin to try to do things in my own “power,” which is so insufficient.  I also get frustrated because I begin to get in a rut or get sidetracked, and things don’t work out like I think they ought.  In fact, my whole life seems to be in chaos at times like that.  In comparison, with my ride this morning, I was not ready for my daily ride, much less any greater challenge that may have presented itself.  I have not been consistent in my physical exercise, so it was frustrating and disheartening.  I must be disciplined and ready for whatever God has for me.

Lately, in my time with God, He seems to be teaching me on the topic of focus and consistency.  I tend to get too many irons in the fire and am not able to get to all of them.  By the way, I just looked online for the exact meaning of that phrase and found two great articles:  http://ezinearticles.com/?Too-Many-Irons-In-The-Fire&id=415086 and http://www.mackarrington.com/articles/TooManyIrons.pdf.  Wow, it really gives me more to think about.  Yes, this is what God is teaching me…  As I think about this, one of the passages that has impacted me recently really ties in the concept of spiritual fitness with focus.  I Cor. 9:24-27 – “Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize?  Run in such a way as to get the prize.  Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training.  They do it to get a crown that will not last; but we do it to get a crown that will last forever.  Therefore I do not run like a man running aimlessly; I do not fight like a man beating the air.  No, I beat my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize.”  God wants us to live on purpose, not aimlessly.  I read a quote by Elbert Hubbard yesterday that also fits, “Know what you want to do, hold the thought firmly, and do everyday what should be done, and every sunset will see you that much nearer the goal.”  I would change it to say, “Know what God wants you to do…”  I also received a devotional from a friend last week who said that she was sending it to another friend and God put it on her heart to send it to me, too…  Now I see why.  It’s all coming together.  See below.

Redeeming the Time ~ by Henry T Blackaby & Richard Blackaby
(Experiencing God Day by Day Devotional)
 
Ephesians 5:15-16 ~ See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise, redeeming the time, because the days are evil.
 
These days we are bombarded with opportunities that entice us to invest our time and energy. Each day the voices of urgency cry out for every available moment. So many causes promise that time spent on them will reap great rewards; how can we recognize God’s voice among so many competing voices?
 
A fool makes unwise choices with his time. With every new opportunity that comes along, the fool chases off in a different direction, not questioning whether that is the best choice. The loudest voice gains his attention. At some point the fool discovers to his dismay that he has squandered the investment of his time.
 
The days in which you live are evil. Marriages are under tremendous pressure; families are disintegrating. Multitudes are dying each year without hearing the gospel of Jesus Christ. Investing your life wisely is critical to you and to those around you. Foolishly spending your time in sinful or wasteful pursuits rob your time. Rather, the temptation is to sacrifice what is best for what is good. The enemy knows that blatantly tempting you with evil will be obvious, so he will lure you with distractions, to so fill your schedule with good things that you have no time for God’s best. You may inadvertently substitute religious activity for God’s will, pursuing your own goals for God’s kingdom instead of waiting for His assignment. Time is a precious commodity. Be sure to invest it wisely.

I have quoted it many times, but I’ll do it again (for my own benefit as well as your’s) –  John 15:5 says, “I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing.”

One final thought.  I learned from Dean Trune that we often focus on the urgent things in our life, and rarely do we consider spending time with God as urgent.  Therefore, we have to be intentional in setting aside that time because it is too easy to let the urgent override the critical.

Wow, I was just going to write a short post about my bike ride this morning and compare it to spiritual fitness, but it just kept flowing.  Thanks for reading about what God is teaching me.  I hope you find encouragement in it today!

May God bless you as you abide in Him!