God Strong
“Golf doesn’t define me… my faith in Jesus does.” – Scottie Scheffler, two-time Masters Champion and World Number 1 ranked golfer
Read Matthew 6:5-15
God Strong
“This, then, is how you should pray:
‘Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name,
your kingdom come,
your will be done,
on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us today our daily bread.
And forgive us our debts,
as we also have forgiven our debtors.
And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from the evil one.’”
~ Matthew 6:9-14 NIV
At the local gym, like most gyms across the country and around the world, there are those guys that are the “serious” weightlifters and body builders. These guys have their own fraternity of sorts. They talk the same language. They workout in the same area of the gym, they strike the same poses and drink the same body builder drinks.
Many of us like to think that we are strong and work hard to stay in some kind of decent shape and condition. These guys are STRONG with a capital S and seem to be the epitome of physical strength. They’ve learned how to eat properly and know what weights and exercises to do to help them with their muscular development and conditioning.
As I watch the body builders work out, even striking up a conversation when my workout bleeds over a little too close to their sanctuary, I marvel at their physical strength and contemplate my lack of it.
And as I look around the gym and all the hundreds, even thousands of people that run through there on a daily and weekly basis, I wonder about their strength and the strength of their hearts.
Not necessarily their “physical” heart but their “spiritual” heart. Are they/are we God Strong?
Sure, we all tend to do a lot of physical things to make us strong and fit, but are we strong and fit with the Lord?
- Are we God Strong?
- Do we daily put on the Full Armor of God?
- Are we daily doing the things that we need to do to strengthen our walk and fight the good fight?
- Do we love the Lord with all our heart, soul, mind and strength…and our neighbor as ourselves?
- Are we power lifting the Bible or are we still working the 2 lb. dumbbells?
- Do we do the hard work on the life changing prayer cardio machine?
- Are we eating the lean meat and drinking the water of the Living Word or are we still drinking milk?
- Are we stretching ourselves through faith-driven service and faith-trusting following?
- Are we discipling other men…spotting them on the bench press of life?
- Are we running the race and in the fight…or are we driving by the parking lot amazed at the number of cars in the lot.
- Are we God Strong?
Maybe it’s time to consult the Great Physician…and hit the gym.
“Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore, put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints.” – Ephesians 6:10-18 NIV