Resistance Training

a verse or two

“Be glad about this, even though it may now be necessary for you to be sad for a while because of the many kinds of trials you suffer. Their purpose is to prove that your faith is genuine.” 1 Peter 1: 6—7a

Spiritual Walk and Musings: Resistance Training.

A couple of weeks ago I mentioned how on a walk with Gypsy I started musing if it is harder to have faith today than in past generations? In the end I concluded that it is not harder for any generation. Maybe what I should have said is for every generation it has always been hard. It’s hard to have faith — we have to work at it (or as someone at the pastoral care meeting said this week — we just have to toughen up). So, it seems to me that in matters of faith—we have to train. We have to develop faith, care for it, build it up, train it, and grow it.

When walking Gypsy up over the switchbacks on Paton Road (or is it Gypsy pulling me). I start to puff a bit more than when walking along the flat. The two small hills provide resistance and I have to work a bit harder — which in reality helps me get fitter. The resistance is good for me. Good athletes use resistance training often to help them get better at their sport. Could it be that in faith in God we need to do some resistance training to help us be better followers of Christ?

So what does faith in God resistance training look like? Here are a couple of ideas. When things go wrong in our lives, when things don’t happen the way we wish — maybe that is a form of resistance training for our faith. The suffering tests our faith and helps it to grow (see the Bible reading above). Another form of faith in God resistance training could be to practice sharing your testimony (life story and why Jesus is important to you) to a Christian friend so when you share your testimony to a non-Christian neighbour or friend — you know what to do.
God Bless, Jon.

Something to do: Do some ‘faith in God’ resistance training.

This week write your own testimony. Write how you came to know Jesus as Lord. Write why this is important to you. Write why you think it’s important for other people to ask Jesus to be Lord. Also write how one asks Jesus to be Lord. Then choose a Christian friend whom you can practice sharing your testimony with. Together practice several times helping each other get really good at it so you become natural at sharing your testimony. Then you will be ready to share it with some non Christian friends.

To Ponder and Pray: We ask for fitness oh Lord.

Dear Lord,
as we ponder the words to use,
and what to say,
guide our thinking.
and as we train to be better
‘fishers of people’ and ‘tellers of the Good News’,
help us to get fit spiritually.
And Dearest Lord...
this Good News is so good.
Let us share it.
Let us share it in love
and let us love those we share it with.
Amen.