September Newsletter
Hi all! Didn’t I just get done
writing the
August Newsletter? I could swear
I just uploaded
it yesterday! Boy they weren’t
kidding when
they said the time flies by faster
as you
get older! Speaking of getting
older, am
I the only one who feels those
aches and
pains in the morning? Sheesh!
I got out of
bed last night and I thought
a tree had cracked
in half outside only to realize
it was my
knees rebelling! As many of you
know, there
are tell-tale signs that accompany
aging.
The aforementioned aches and
pains that weren’t
there a year ago, the eyesight
and hearing
may fade a bit just to mention
a few. There
are tell-tale signs of being
a bodybuilder
and Christian as well. I wonder
how many
of the signs we exhibit?
If you are ever wondering if someone you
know is a bodybuilder, there are many signs
to look for if you are curious. For example,
the stack of five pound containers of whey
in the corner of the kitchen, or the many
books on weight training, dieting, the history
of bodybuilding, advertisement booklets on
bodybuilding - often called magazines just
to name a few of the items in the printed
material genre. Then there are the forty
or so cans of tuna in the pantry or the six
dozen eggs in the refrigerator. Check the
freezer where there also may be stacks of
steaks next to the bags of chicken breast.
Of course the carbohydrate corner that contains
the bags of potatoes and rice ready to be
cooked at a moments notice! Then there are
the miscellaneous paraphernalia like in our
home where there is a bodybuilding quilt
draped over a couch or the military pressing
turtle among the rose bushes. A sweaty doo-rag
or a random lifting strap find there way
into the laundry basket many a times as well.
Did I mention the clothing? Let’s see…there
are rag tops, big tops, tank tops, cut off
sweat shirts as well as those outrageously
colored baggy pants. ( I have a pair that
if I wear them, Val absolutely refuses to
be seen in public with me !) Let us not forget
the language! You would often think that
language is defined in sets reps and protein
intake. For example, if the family pet has
a name like "deadlift" or "latimus
dorsi" well then that might be a tip-off.
If you call your female dog to you and say
"come here curl" instead of girl…If
you respond to the question "what did
you do this weekend?" with the answer
of "Chest and legs" that could
be a hint as well.
How do you know if someone is
a Christian?
Here it is more an outward manifestation
of an internal change. It is
not enough for
us to wear the cross, sport the
bumper sticker
and carry the Bible. An actual
doing is required.
Just as someone can profess to
be a bodybuilder
by having all the equipment lying
around,
someone can profess to be a Christian
and
never walk the talk. When we
give our life
to the Lord and proclaim to be
Christians
we are required to walk a different
walk.
(Therefore be imitators of God as dear children.
And walk in love, as Christ also
has loved
us and given Himself for us,
an offering
and a sacrifice to God for a
sweet-smelling
aroma. But fornication and all
uncleanness
or covetousness, let it not even
be named
among you, as is fitting for
saints; neither
filthiness, nor foolish talking,
nor coarse
jesting, which are not fitting,
but rather
giving of thanks. For this you
know, that
no fornicator, unclean person,
nor covetous
man, who is an idolater, has
any inheritance
in the kingdom of Christ and
God. Let no
one deceive you with empty words,
for because
of these things the wrath of
God comes upon
the sons of disobedience. Therefore
do not
be partakers with them. do not
be partakers
with them. For you were once
darkness, but
now you are light in light in
the Lord. Walk
as children of light (for the
fruit of the
Spirit is in all goodness, righteousness,
and truth), finding out what
is acceptable
to the Lord. And have no fellowship
with
the unfruitful works of darkness,
but rather
expose them. For it is shameful
even to speak
of those things which are done
by them in
secret. But all things that are
exposed are
made manifest by the light, for
whatever
makes manifest is light. Therefore
He says:
" Awake, you who sleep,
arise from the
dead, and Christ will give you
light."
See then that you walk circumspectly,
not
as fools but as wise, redeeming
the time,
because the days are evil. Therefore
do not
be unwise, but understand what
the will of
the Lord is. And do not be drunk
with wine,
in which is dissipation; but
be filled with
the Spirit, speaking to one another
in psalms
and hymns and spiritual songs,
singing and
making melody in your heart to
the Lord,
giving thanks always for all
things to God
the Father in the name of our
Lord Jesus
Christ, submitting to one another
in the
fear of God. - Ephesians 5: 1-21
) Do we always do as we are required? No.
The flesh falls away faster in
some and slower
in others. We are all in a state
of maturation
in our daily walk with God. BUT!
Upon repentance,
are we forgiven? You bet! (As far as the east is from the west, So
far has He removed our transgressions
from
us. - Psalm 103:12) The signs AREN’T always that obvious. I
am a Christian, but I can become
upset and
resort to complaining and walking
around
with a scowl at times even though
the Bible
says not to ( Do all things without complaining and disputing
- Philippians 2:14)
Yet, my dear friend Calvin is
a shining example
of the opposite. He responds
to everything
with a kind and loving word.
He is edification
personified. Does that mean I
am a terrible
Christian? Not necessarily. Just
forgiven.
I am maturing. God has placed
a friend in
my presence from whom I can learn.
I in turn,
pray that one day I will be that
person to
someone else. Yes, it is easier
to spot the
bodybuilder, without a doubt.
It is all there
for you to see in black and white.
However,
as Christians we are always striving
to be
better, stripping away the old
self, to be
more Christ-like. Let us not
devour each
other in our walk when we do
slip, but help
each other up as we race for
the prize!
And now our prayer. God, help
us to encourage
our brothers and sisters further
along in
their walk, helping when they
stumble, being
an example when we can, gently
guiding, remembering
where we have been and where
we are going,
and always putting love as the
motivation
for what we do or say. In Jesus’
name we
pray. Amen. Until next time,
go with God
and lift that iron!
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