I enjoy going to the gym multiple times a week. When I was in High school, I really got into power lifting. however, after a shoulder injury, and ACL tear I no longer do real heavy stuff. I have been forced to alter my workouts. I go to the gym and do a ton of cardio exercises, and I still lift weights, just not the same as before.

Even though I love going to the gym, there is one thing that I will never understand. I will never understand why some people go to the gym. You see you can look around at the treadmills, elliptical trainers, stationary bikes, weight machines, free weights, the track, and the basketball courts and all around you, you see people utilizing those facilities trying to better their lifestyle, whether it be to lose weight, gain muscle, or just be healthier. We all have our own personal goals, but that is not what I do not understand…

You see, there is another group of people that I do not understand. It is not uncommon to see someone walk into the facility carrying their “special bottle” full of protein or whatever their choice of liquid, they are wearing the appropriate clothes, and even have head phones in so that you can see that they are serious about what they are doing. But then, they sit down on the bench, near all of the equipment.  They watch others as they exercise, they watch the televisions that are playing, and then… they leave.

It is almost as if they believe that in some way, they have bettered themselves by simply being at the gym. They do not walk a mile, or lift a weight but they were there. And I guess, that was good enough for them.

Even as crazy and comical as this may sound, I see it happen all of the time! Those of you who know me well, know I am going somewhere with this… So here it is.

Spiritually speaking:

Are we doing ourselves any good? You see, merely being at the church building during a worship service, wearing the right clothes, and carrying our Bible so that everyone can see that we are serious will do nothing for us spiritually. What is worse, it is not pleasing to God. I am afraid that many times we fall into this same line of thinking as the above mentioned “athletes” and we fool ourselves into thinking that being “around” the church is the same as being IN the church. or that being “around” good works, is the same as us actually doing good works.

I am no workout expert, but I do know this, If you do not break a sweat, you are not doing much good. If you do not reach a certain heart rate, and maintain that heart rate throughout the course of your workout, you aren’t doing much good. Let me ask you brothers and sisters, are we breaking a sweat spiritually? Are we getting our heart involved in our work? Or do we half-heartedly go through the motions of Christianity?

It is time for all of us to challenge ourselves. It is time for all of us to decide we will not be complacent, or apathetic, and we will not be comfortable merely being “pew sitters.” It is time to get our heart rate up, and break a sweat!

Matthew 9:37- Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few;

Revelation 3:16- So, because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth.

Colossians 3:23- Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men,

in Him,

Troy