Exercise
What kinds of thoughts and feelings are conjured up in your mind when you hear the word "exercise?" Is it a positive word for you or a negative word? Do you think of sweat, being tired, or pain? Maybe, you think about concentration, exertion, and energy. There are a lot of things we associate with exercise, aren't there?
Most people think of physical exercise. It is important. Without exercise our muscles would atrophy, and we would become almost helpless. Our bodies don't work very well at all if we do not get some type of exercise. In fact, there is a great paradox involved in physical exercise: If we get good, strenuous exercise, we end up with more energy, instead of less energy. That is how God made our bodies. Have you ever noticed that the more you rest, the more you want to rest? Exercise causes our bodies to produce the chemicals that wake us up and give us energy.
However, there are other kinds of exercise. Do you exercise your mind? If you don't, you should. Our minds can get flabby just like our bodies. To keep them sharp, we need to use them and to stretch them. That is why many people work crossword puzzles and watch game shows like Jeopardy. It keeps our minds alert and functioning well.
Also, we have to exercise our faith, or it will become weak. Read James 1. That is the reason God allows us to go through all kinds of trials. Each trial is an opportunity to exercise our faith. When we do, God honors our faith with His action, so we know that the next time we can count on Him, too. That causes our faith to grow. The more faith we exercise the more we have. The more faith we have, the more we can see God work in and through our lives. Exercising our faith every day is very important, if we want to have a growing relationship with God.
Tomorrow, I intend to read Matthew 1-3.
Most people think of physical exercise. It is important. Without exercise our muscles would atrophy, and we would become almost helpless. Our bodies don't work very well at all if we do not get some type of exercise. In fact, there is a great paradox involved in physical exercise: If we get good, strenuous exercise, we end up with more energy, instead of less energy. That is how God made our bodies. Have you ever noticed that the more you rest, the more you want to rest? Exercise causes our bodies to produce the chemicals that wake us up and give us energy.
However, there are other kinds of exercise. Do you exercise your mind? If you don't, you should. Our minds can get flabby just like our bodies. To keep them sharp, we need to use them and to stretch them. That is why many people work crossword puzzles and watch game shows like Jeopardy. It keeps our minds alert and functioning well.
Also, we have to exercise our faith, or it will become weak. Read James 1. That is the reason God allows us to go through all kinds of trials. Each trial is an opportunity to exercise our faith. When we do, God honors our faith with His action, so we know that the next time we can count on Him, too. That causes our faith to grow. The more faith we exercise the more we have. The more faith we have, the more we can see God work in and through our lives. Exercising our faith every day is very important, if we want to have a growing relationship with God.
Tomorrow, I intend to read Matthew 1-3.