HEALTH CHECK (5)

'Are you in health, my brother?' 2 Samuel 20:9

There's quite a bit in the Bible comparing the Christian life to running a race and physical training. Maybe that doesn't motivate you -maybe the first things that come to mind are flashbacks of wheezy PE lessons, stitches, sore legs and the ultimate humiliation of finishing last! Either way, there's an important point here: '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' (1 Cor. 9:24-27 NIV).

PE lessons aside, the motivation should be clear - If you're serious about Jesus, you need to be serious about disciplining yourself to pray and read His Word. That's the way you'll get the life He promises. The Bible says, 'An undisciplined, self-willed life is puny; an obedient, God-willed life is spacious' (Prov. 15:32 TM).

What now?

What discipline needs to be in place so you can run your race better? Deciding over and over to be a better person isn't hypocrisy. It's how we become mature. So, if you're struggling to spend time with God and pray every day, try getting up an hour earlier, and make it a practice - like a muscle, it'll become easier the more you do it and harder the less.

written by Bob Gass