FITNESS IS A FORM
OF WORSHIP
Worship the Lord your God and...
serve Him only.
-
Matthew 4:10
FOCUS FOR TODAY
When you worship God with a sincere heart,
He will guide your steps and bless your life.
What does worship have to do with fitness? That depends on how you define worship. If you consider worship to be a "Sunday-only" activity, an activity the occurs only inside the four walls of your local church, then fitness and worship may seem totally unrelated. But if you view worship as an activity that impacts every facet of your life - if you consider worship to be something far more that a "one-day-a-week" obligation - then you understand that every aspect of your life is a form of worship. And that includes keeping your body physically fit, keeping the temple that He dwells in, in good health.
Make no mistake: All of mankind (including you) is engaged to worship...of one kind or another. The question is not whether we worship, but what we worship. Some us us choose to worship our Heavenly Father. The result is a plentiful harvest of joy, peace, and abundance. Others distance themselves from God by placing the desire for personal gratification above the need for spiritual gratification. To do so can be a terrible mistake with eternal consequences.Everyday provides the opportunities to put God where He belongs: at the center of our lives. When we do so, , we worship not just with our words, but also with our deeds. And one way that we can honor our Heavenly Father is by treating our bodies with care and respect.
The Bible makes it clear: "Your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit" 1 Corinthians 6:19. Treat it that way. And consider your fitness regimen to be one way - a very important way - of worshiping God.
2 Worship the LORD with gladness;
come before him with joyful songs.
3 Know that the LORD is God.
It is he who made us, and we are his
we are his people, the sheep of his pasture.
23 Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in the Spirit and in truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks. 24 God is spirit, and his worshipers
The Bible makes it clear: "Your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit" 1 Corinthians 6:19. Treat it that way. And consider your fitness regimen to be one way - a very important way - of worshiping God.
FOOD FOR THOUGHT
DON'T FOCUS ON FOOD;
FOCUS ON GOD
Don't worship food. Honor the body that God gave you by eating sensible portions of sensible foods.
MORE FROM GOD'S WORD
Psalm 100:2-3
New International Version (NIV)
2 Worship the LORD with gladness;
come before him with joyful songs.
3 Know that the LORD is God.
It is he who made us, and we are his
we are his people, the sheep of his pasture.
John 4:23-24
New International Version (NIV)
Psalm 122
A song of ascents. Of David. 1 I rejoiced with those who said to me,“Let us go to the house of the LORD.”
Acts 2:46-47
New International Version (NIV)
46 Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, 47 praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.
When God gave Moses the Ten Commandments, it became perfectly clear that our Heavenly Father intends for us to make the Sabbath a holy day, a day for worship, for contemplation, for fellowship, and for rest. Yet we live in a seven-day-a-week world, a world that all too often treats Sunday as a regular workday.
and make music to your name, O Most High,
So that at the name of Jesus
every knee should bow-of those who are
in heaven and on earth and under the earth-
and every tongue should confess that
Jesus Christ is Lord,
to the glory of God the Father.
-
Philippians 2:10-11
MORE THOUGHTS ABOUT WORSHIP
It's the definition of worship: A hungry heart finding the Father's feast. A searching soul finding the Father's face. A wondering pilgrim spotting the Father's house. Finding God. Finding God seeking us. This is worship. This is a true worshiper. - Max Lucado
Spiritual worship is focusing all we are on all He is. - Beth Moore
To worship Him in truth means to worship Him honestly, without hypocrisy, standing open and transparent before Him. - Anne Graham Lotz
God asks that we worship Him with our concentrated minds as with our wills and emotions. A divided and scattered mind is not effective. - Catherine Marshall
Worship is your spirit responding to God's Spirit. - Rick Warren
REMEMBER THE SABBATH
When God gave Moses the Ten Commandments, it became perfectly clear that our Heavenly Father intends for us to make the Sabbath a holy day, a day for worship, for contemplation, for fellowship, and for rest. Yet we live in a seven-day-a-week world, a world that all too often treats Sunday as a regular workday.
One way to strengthen our faith is by giving God at least one day each week. If you can carve out the time for a day of worship and praise, you'll be amazed at the impact it will have on the rest of your week. But id you fail to honor God's day, if you treat the Sabbath as a day to work or a day to party, you'll miss out on a harvest of blessings that is only available one day each week.
How does your family observe the Lord's day? When church is over, do you treat Sunday like any other day of the week? If so, it's time to think long and hard about your family's schedule and your family's priorities. And if you've been treating Sunday as just another day, it's time to break that habit. When Sunday rolls around, don't try to fill every spare moment. Take time to rest....Father's orders!
It is impossible to worship God
and remain unchanged.
-
Henry Blackaby
WORKING IT OUT
CONSIDER YOUR HEALTHY LIFESTYLE
A FORM OF WORSHIP
When God described your body as a temple. He wasn't kidding. Show respect for God's Word by keeping your temple in tip-top shape.
PRAISE HIM
Too many of us, even well-intentioned believers, tend to "compartmentalize" our waking hours into a few familiar categories: work, rest, play, family time, and worship. To do so is a mistake. Worship and praise should be woven into the fabric of everything we do; it should never be relegated to a weekly three-hour visit to church on Sunday morning.
Mrs. Charles E. Cowman, the author of the classic devotional text, Streams in the Desert, wrote, "Two things are necessary to lift our souls toward God; prayer and praise. Prayer asks. Praise accepts the answer." Today, find a little more time to lift your concerns to God in prayer, and praise Him for all that He has done. He is listening...and He wants to hear from you.
MORE FROM GOD'S WORD ABOUT
PRAISE AND THANKSGIVING
Psalm 92
Psalm 92
A psalm. A song. For the Sabbath day. 1 It is good to praise the LORDand make music to your name, O Most High,
Colossians 3:15
New International Version (NIV)
15 Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful.
Colossians 2:6-7
New International Version (NIV)
Spiritual Fullness in Christ
6 So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live your lives in him, 7 rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness.1 Thessalonians 5:18
New International Version (NIV)
18 give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.
STRENGTHENING YOUR FAITH
NOT JUST SUNDAY MORNING
Worship is not meant to be boxed up in a church building on Sunday morning. To the contrary, praise and worship should be woven into the very fabric of our lives.
NOTES TO YOURSELF
Make notes about specific ways that you can worship God seven days a week.
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