Faith Fitness and Nutrition: Serving with Gladness and Getting Ready for new workouts

Morning Devotion: Psalm 100:2 “ Serve the Lord with gladness! Come into his presence with singing! Simply going to the church building every Sunday, Saturday, or whenever we do corporate worship doesn’t suddenly turn us into the perfect model of what a Christian is or isn’t. Simple church attendance (walking into the building and out) just won’t do it – let’s be brutally honest here, we can go into the building, participate in every church driven activity, be the epitome of the perfect server and yet the minute we leave that environment the facade fades, our lives are a complete mess, we don’t pick up our bibles and continue the study of God’s Word, we are filled with anger, jealousy, resentment, judgment, we have a hard time loving ourselves and others and we live any way we want the rest of the week; however, come next worship day, we put the facade back on and go right back into the building, raising our hands in “worship”. Going to “church” is not about going to be seen; it’s not about getting that perfect attendance check mark on how good a Christian we are on the outside while inside nothing has changed. Gathering together as a body is about fellowship, worshiping God together, building relationships with each other, being fed the Word and taking it with us to study for ourselves and continue building our own personal relationship with Christ; it’s about strengthening each other not just on Sundays (Saturdays etc) but every day.

The flipside is that many have had the experience of their church attendance being used against them to gauge whether they are being faithful to God. If a regular attender stops coming to church as a body we should inquire as to their spiritual and physical well-being, but too often when someone misses church in some cases, it’s held against them as their not being faithful to God. Hebrews 10:25 Not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near”
What if we simple asked:
Is that Brother or Sister Safe?
Are they experiencing a Crisis (Personal, Financial or Spiritual)
If they are experiencing a Crisis, what can we do to help?
We (the body) are called to be the church, not the building, and I absolutely believe in the necessity of worshiping together, of gathering together and praising God together, strengthening each other and building each other up. Being able to worship freely and openly is a gift and we should never waste it, but it’s something we should be carrying with us every single day. We shouldn't be walking into the Church building with an attitude of obligation that we are here because we have to be, but rather we are here because we are willing to be there. God wants us to worship him with an open, loving, and willing heart. Don’t go to a place of worship so your attendance can be counted; GO with a repentant heart, an open and willing heart and mind. GO with the spirit of obedience; GO to fellowship; GO to honor and praise God; GO to bless God and be blessed in return; GO to learn the Word and take those lessons with you throughout your week; GO to build each other up.

Nightly Reading: Psalm 86- Prayer for Mercy, with meditation on the Excellencies of The Lord. This Psalm is filled with the characteristics of God and why we should rely upon him. God is God,
Merciful, Good, Forgiving, abundant in mercy, Great, Wondrous, Compassionate, Gracious, Comforter, Longsuffering, Truth, Strong. We ask God to teach us his ways ( of mercy, truth and compassion) and we should live each day living as God teaches us. We must keep asking God to keep increasing our knowledge, and improve upon our obedience to him, and verses 11-14 is a great example of how to pray for that daily.

Rejoice always 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 "Rejoice always, 17 pray continually, 18 give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus."

Have you spend those precious moments with God today? Where ever you are right now, stop and take a few moments or minutes to honor our Living God, the Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

" Lord, I want you to search me and know my heart. I know that You are aware of my anxious thoughts. Help me to cast all of them on You. Amen. (Source: First Place 4 Health)

We have to train ourselves to stop looking back and keep looking forward. The past should be kept squarely in the past, nothing we do now can ever undo what has been done. Looking forward and starting from today is what's important, getting our mindset straight, relying upon our God given strength and finding the determination to make a brand new ending, THAT is the game-plan.

Take a few minutes and spend it in quiet time with God, praise him, thank him, honor him, and lay every burden that is currently crushing you, at his feet. "Lord, I want to be a person who is living each day with hope, trusting You so I never despair. I can do this with Your help. You ARE my hope, O God." (Source: First Place 4 Health)

These are my weekly todo/motivational lists to help keep me on track during the week. It's a great tool to have handy on my phone, and a constant reminder that I am in control of what I think, do, eat and act.

Keep calm and bask in the knowledge that God loves you. John 3:16 "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

Don't forget to take those precious moments and spend some time with God today as we should everyday. Keep your peace, enjoy your life, be joyous and victorious.

My Christmas present to myself was the new Les Mills combat program, with some gift certificates and discounts, I was able to get it on Amazon for $29.00!!! it just arrived in the mail today so I am going to be hitting it along with Xtrain from Cathe in the new year. Xtrain should be here next week sometime and I cannot wait to get it and start a hybrid program.