“Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one receives the prize? Run in such a way as to take the prize. Everyone who competes in the games trains with strict discipline. They do it for a crown that is perishable, but we do it for a crown that is imperishable. Therefore I do not run aimlessly; I do not fight like I am beating the air. No, I discipline my body and make it my slave, so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified.” 1 Corinthians 9:24-25

I hate the gym! Always have. So yesterday, as I was preparing to do my workout, my friend, fellow Christian and gym owner, who by the way has muscles from head to toe, gave me a pep talk. I told him, “I just don’t get a thrill out of lifting weights for no visible purpose. Cutting grass or wood at least produces a product!” He said that , “an old body that WORKS… IS your goal!”   Touche’!

There’s was a TV on the gym wall playing ‘Super-human’ TV. I watched it as a distraction, while pulling on a rowing machine, and found myself going through different emotions. When someone showed off their kicking skill with a soccer ball, or their ability to ride a skateboard down a railing I thought, “what a waste of time!” Bouncing a golf ball off a club isn’t that impressive!

But when I saw the skydivers doing aerobatics in the air, when a bike, dirt-biker or snowboarder did a multi-flip off of a giant leap…my thoughts went to “WHOA!!! THAT’S COOL!!” Then I kinda felt a heavenly nudge with (I think) God asking me, “so why is THAT cool… but the bodybuilder lifting a car isn’t?” Filtering my thoughts, I had to admit that my foolishness was NOT ‘cool!’

In EVERY instance, what ‘I’ thought was cool came from an area if interest of MINE! I have zero interest in bodybuilding my physic into a Hercules! I have ZERO desire to show off by telling people.. “hey.. look what ‘I’ can do! “ Jesus reminded me, “I CALLED you to be a bodybuilder for my Church.” AND that “You are not here to impress the world… just HIM!” And said further… “II Am watching!”

I apparently gave too much yesterday, and hardly slept last night because my legs and arm muscles HURT! Maybe Gym-Man’s speech pressed me ‘harder than I’m used to.’ But God OFTEN does that… just like He did with Paul. I’m just praying that God has somebody special in mind, someone He wants ME to show HIS ability to save them from hell!  Are YOU working out with Jesus in God’s Gym?