Active FaithSample

Cross Fit

Jesus told His disciples that if they wanted to be his disciple, they had to deny themselves, pick up their cross and follow Him. (Matthew 16:24)

As we follow Christ and strive to be more like Him, we have to deny our fleshly desires and sacrifice what we may want to follow His way and His teachings. That is not always an easy thing to do.

In the same way, many of us have goals to be physically fit and get in better shape this year. In order for us to reach those goals, we may have to deny our desires for some of the the tasty foods and sweet treats that we love. We have to be disciplined in our diets and consistent in our workouts to make the changes necessary to be physically fit. We know that the only way to build muscle and cardiovascular fitness is to consistently lift heavy weights and exercise to get our heart rates up. When you see someone who is fit and in shape, you know that they didn’t go and work out a few times or that they just ran every now and then. The physical fitness is a result of a commitment to eating the right foods and exercising regularly. 

The same can be applied to our quest to be spiritually fit. The only way we will be strong enough to carry our cross, is to train ourselves spiritually. Think about the repetitions and the frequency that you must lift those heavy weights in order to get stronger muscles. We must take that same approach to how many times we lift our Bibles and study the word. We squat to build a firm base of strength in our bodies. We must also kneel and pray to build a firm base of strength in our relationship with God. Just like the weights, the crosses that we have to carry in order to follow Jesus can get heavy at times. The type of training we must endure to be fit enough to carry our cross does not happen in the gym. 

So we challenge you to be Active in your Faith AND your Fitness. As you strive to be in better shape physically, do not forget to strive to be in better shape spiritually. Know that your faith is just like your muscles. It must be stretched, challenged, and tested in order to grow stronger. It won't be easy. There is always soreness that comes with working out hard and challenging your muscles. But that means that you are on your way to getting stronger. Your faith will be tested and there will be times when you experience pain. But know that your faith will grow stronger and you will be able to be fit enough to carry your cross like Jesus asks.

Click Here for Faith & Fitness Day 1 Workout!