Sunday 4 March 2012

Endure hardship as discipline

I twisted my knee playing rugby on the weekend. I can barely walk however i have faith in God that it was for a reason and he will heal me.

"No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have trained by it.
Therefore, strengthen your feeble arms and weak knees! "make level paths for your feet" so that the lame may not be disabled, but rather healed" (Hebrews 12:11-13)

God has pointed out my weaknesses for all to see and now has given me time to build them and make them strengths. Bring on rehabilitation.

Wednesday 22 February 2012

Teamwork

So our rugby team (Jersey United Banks) are going away on the weekend for our first Hampshire cup game. Only 2 or 3 people have gone away before in the team to play in the Hampshire cup so we have a relatively new squad. Things are looking good though, tonight there was a lot of focus and less messing around at practice with everyone looking towards the weekend and the challenge to come. So I thought today I would talk about teamwork, as without a great team through all the players we won't progress very far in the cup. So let's see what the bible has to offer us.

"two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their toil. For if they fall, one will lift up his fellow. But woe to him who falls and has not another to lift him up!" (Ecclesiastes 4:9-11)

You know what this is about boys, one takes the ball in and if he has no support the balls going to get ripped or turned over, so always go into contact with someone.

"though a man might prevail against one who is alone, two will withstand him - a threefold cord is not quickly broken" (Ecclesiastes 4:12)

When the ball is on the ground one man has a hard time keeping that ball safe but if two go over its hard for the opposition to get to the ball, and should almost be impossible.

"Iron sharpens iron, and one man sharpens another." (Proverbs 27:17)

Everyone has their responsibilities and everyone should be looking to the men on either side for support and know that they are going to be in for everything that's about to happen.

Let's Focus and get the win on the weekend.



Tuesday 21 February 2012

Being Patient

There are far too many times where I think to myself that I should be seeing results straight away, or trick myself into thinking that I have seen results. I get this in the gym all the time, looking at my self after a week and wondering why my muscles haven't got bigger or my stomach hasn't got smaller. It's at this time I think to myself about quitting or changing my programme, maybe a few arm days will show a difference, but at the end of the day deep down somewhere inside I know that it may not happen in the 1st week but by the fourth or fifth week there should be a marked improvement. As with all things it takes time and patience to get to where you want to be.

"and let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up." (Galations 6:9)

Monday 20 February 2012

Endurance and Perserverance

"we also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance;  and perseverance, character; and character hope" (Romans 5:3-4)

Put into easier terms by the English Standard Version (ESV) bible:

"we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope" (Romans 5:3-4)

This verse runs through my head when I am in the middle of a PHA circuit and I'm thinking to myself that I might just go a little easier on myself so that I can make it to the end of the session. What's the point of living within your pre determined constrictions venture out of the box and push yourself to new limits you may feel like you are going to be sick or you might even be sick but if you keep pushing yourself out of your limits your going to make outrageous gains in anything you do. Its the increased endurance that you get from this that will produce character inside of you. The stubbornness they used to have in the war, the relentlessness to die, the work ethic of come rain or shine. These are the type of people that others latch onto and look to in times of need to lead them out of the bad times and into the good the type of people that give you hope in bad situations. The type of person that is rare in modern day society.

In the same way we must go out of our comfort zone when it comes to God we cant just stay at one level of understanding, not learning any more. We must be constantly learning more and more becoming more like the people who memorised the whole bible and could repeat it. The bible says in James 1:25 that it's one of four habits that lead to a blessed life. Also if you push yourself in Christianity it can never be a bad thing as your effectively pushing yourself closer and closer to God, and its the same as going to the gym there will be times where you want to give up, but its the people that push through and give that little bit extra that will prevail in finding God as it says in jeremiah 29:13 "you will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart."  


Sunday 19 February 2012

God gives us all we need

Hey just a quick one today as its been a pretty intense day with church this morning and ignite tonight.

"He gives power to the weak, and to those who have no might he increases strength. Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall, but those who wait on the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint." (Isaiah 40:29-31)

Without the Lord in your life you are going nowhere. It doesn't matter if you still have youth on your side or you are the strongest man in the world, nothing you can do can compare to the strength and power that the Lord has.
Put your faith in the Lord and he will hit you with renewed strength he wont let you fall away or stray from the path even if those around you are trying to pull you away.
If you are so tired and have no strength left in your body if you look to the Lord for help, he will help.


Friday 17 February 2012

Physical strength is only a part of it.

"train yourself to be godly. For physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come." (1 Timothy 4:8-9)


Yet another great passage which shows the way that God does value physical training but also wants us to train in Godliness.


Physical training can help not only reach the discipline levels we need in Godliness but also promotes health in both body and mind that we need when putting all our efforts towards God.


Physical training can help us now in the present but Godliness will help us now and forever more. Both physical training and training to be Godly are achieved in the same way, through hard work and perseverance, both require sacrifice and tears but with godliness you will receive in abundance the Glory of God both on earth and in heaven.


Whether we win or lose Glory be to God


Also im going to include a passage on healing as a friend is in need of healing due to too much bench press...


"My child, be attentive to my words; incline your ear to my sayings. Do not let them escape from your sight; keep them within your heart. For they are life to those who find them, and healing to all their flesh." (Proverbs 4:20-22)

Thursday 16 February 2012

Encouragement and focus

I was looking for a definitive passage that would combine spirituality with exercise and I found this from the message bible:

"You've all been to the stadium and seen the athletes race. Everyone runs; one wins. Run to win. All good athletes train hard. They do it for a gold medal that tarnishes and fades. Your after one that's gold eternally.

I don't know about you but I'm running hard for the finish line. I'm giving everything I've got. No sloppy living for me! I'm staying alert and in top condition. I'm not going to get caught napping, telling everyone else all about it and then missing out myself." (1 Corinthians 9:24-27)

This is a great passage and has jumped up my list of favourite passages. Recently at our home group at church we did the armour of God and I loved the shoes of readiness and how we have to live ready so as not to miss out. This passage then backs it up and includes focus for Christians.

We aren't just getting fit for the short term, where we look good or perform well, we are getting ready, ready for whatever we are going to encounter, ready for Jesus to come back to earth.   


Found this website about how we shouldn't be lazy and we should get up off our couches and improve our spiritual and physical health.  http://www.ronalfy.com/christianity-and-fitness-getting-off-of-the-couch/

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Ultimate Male

So I received an email a while ago from Rick Warren and it was titled 'do the right thing'. This started to make me think about what I can use from the bible to help me out in the gym. So this is what I received from that email.

Real strength is having a strong heart for God as well as having a strong body.

Some things you have to think about:
Is there pain involved when getting in shape?
Is there benefits to that?
Is there pain in being disciplined?
Is there benefits from it?

so to endure short term pain in a situation, you need to look at the long term reward.

"Jesus was willing to die a shameful death on the cross because of the joy he knew would be his afterwards; and now he sits in the place of honour by the throne of God" (variation on Hebrews 12:2)

or as it actually says "let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God." (Hebrews 12:2)

Jesus being Jesus could see that because he went to the cross and endured relatively short term pain he was setting the whole of the human race free from sin and the whole world would see the benefits not just him.

He was willing to go through the pain of the cross because he could look past it to the reward that follows.

When you are going through any kind of problems any kind of pain take it to God in prayer as you keep in mind whatever it is isn't the end of the world. PLAY IT DOWN AND PRAY IT UP!!!

"at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up." (Galatians 6:9)

There is always a delay between planting the seed and eating the fruit. Like the results of going to the gym they are never immediate and it takes time to get the body you want.

LOOK PAST THE CURRENT PAIN TO THE GAINS THAT AWAIT YOU

First Post

So at this point in time I have no followers and don't know if I will ever have any followers but I just thought this would be a good place to note down and save things that I have been thinking about in regards to Christians in the gym.