Exercise for the mind...

Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last; but we do it to get a crown that will last forever. Therefore I do not run like a man running aimlessly; I do not fight like a man beating the air. No, I beat my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize.
1 Corinthians 9:24-27

It's an interesting thing, that so many people have this neatly packaged view of Christianity. We don't really view it as work, or something we must train for - we just 'are' Christians; I would beg to differ. Christianity and faith are verbs - as a good friend once told me, "faith is something we do, it is not something we just have" it is an action as is being a Christian. We should not mearly be Christians, we should be doing Christianity - working and training and conditioning ourselves on a daily basis to be more like Christ. Beating our bodies and making it our slaves is not an easy task, nor was it ever intended to be. Just as running a marathon takes months of training and conditioning and stamina that is built over time so does living a life for Christ require all of these things.

The Christian walk is no different than physical exercise. You start out with a commitment in your heart and mind...you have goals and set plans and you're convinced that you're going to stick with it. Life gets busy and you start to slack off, a few weeks go by and your initial commitment is out the door. A week out of the gym and I can physically feel the difference - my muscles get weaker, I don't feel as strong. It's no different with our spiritual lives. A week w/o "training", and I can feel the difference, I am mentally, emotionally an spiritually weaker...more apt to falling and more easily tempted into sin. Training our minds is so much more difficult than training our bodies but so much more important!

It amazes me how many hours I have devoted to shaping and molding my physical body into what I feel is acceptable, and at the same time, how few hours I have devoted to shaping and molding my mind into what God feels is acceptable.