Gaining Strength

Muscles are amazing.  When they are used for their created purpose, they grow and become even more useful to us.  Work becomes easier and more effective as our muscles enlarge and take on more of the force for us.  They may scream at us that they are sore, but if we give in to them they become weaker once again and we must start over with building them up.  They are like a little child that doesn't want to have to walk anymore.  They cry out to Mommy, Daddy, Grandma, Grandpa...anyone who will listen, "Pick me up!!  I don't want to walk anymore!!"  Parents know that their child needs to walk a while to build leg muscles so they can eventually not have to be carried.  So sometimes they listen, if they know their child has had it and really is exhausted, but other times they will tell their child they must keep walking.  When our muscles cry out that they are weary and sore we have to decide if they really need rest or should keep going.

Muscles are also amazing in that they are all throughout our bodies.  Our hands alone can have over sixty different muscles in them!  It is believed that every hair follicle on our body has its own muscle.  Our heart is a muscle as well.  If it is used and exercised it gets stronger and more efficient in pumping blood throughout our bodies.  If it is ignored it will atrophy, become weaker and weaker until it can no longer function properly and will give up.  If that happens, we die.
If anyone, then, knows the good they ought to do and doesn't do it, it is sin for them. James 4:17  (NIV)

Just as we know we should exercise to keep our muscles growing in strength, we also know we should exercise our obedience to Christ in order to grow in faith.  If not, our faith will atrophy and we will wonder if God has forsaken us, when in reality it is we who have forsaken Him.  Our bodies were made to work to keep them strong and our spirits were made to work in obedience to God in order to strengthen our faith. 

How many of us are living in sin through disobedience and don't even recognize that it is sin?  We tend to think that sin is something we DO that is wrong.  While that is true, it is also true that it is sin to NOT do what we know we should be doing.  Just as we make excuses for not exercising our muscles; ie: not enough time, costs too much, too tired, etc., we make excuses for not doing what we know we should and amazingly enough, they are the same reasons we use for not exercising!!  Hmmmmmmm....

Father, first we must wake up to the fact that we are being lazy in not exercising our muscles of obedience.  It is said that walking is one of the best forms of exercise so Lord, grant us the desire in our hearts to truly want You as Lord over all and get up and get going in our walk of obedient faith.