Godly Exercise

      Every day, thousands of Christians hit the gym, go for a run, take a swim or practice Pilates. We want to take care of our bodies so they will be around for a while. Regrettably, too many are missing out on the greatest exercise—walking with God. It’s good for the heart, good for the soul and, yes, even good for the body. It is the only exercise with everlasting benefits.

      Today, we are beginning a month of godly exercise, stretching our spiritual muscles and challenging ourselves to move our relationship with God to the next level. As a congregation, we are focusing on our walk with God in a very specific way. Don’t miss out on any of the means by which we are focusing on this exercise. If you are a guest, please avail yourself of all that we are offering. We want to help you with your walk with God as much as we want to improve our own.

      From today through November 4, every sermon will help us increase our knowledge of God and draw us closer to Him. That is 12 opportunities to study about our Great God and build our relationship with Him. You won’t want to miss a single one of those lessons.

      Additionally, we have a book for every family, whether guests or members, to read and work through. It contains five weeks of studies about God. Read one chapter every weekday to draw closer to God. Each chapter has two parts. “Getting our Bearings” explains a characteristic of God. “Hand in Hand” discusses what that characteristic means practically about our walk with God. Consider and fill out the “Think About It” questions and then develop a prayer based on the new characteristic you have learned about God.

      On top of all this, we remember that Ecclesiastes 4:9-12 points out we shouldn’t walk alone. Rather, we need to couple with others who will strengthen and encourage us. At the end of each week’s readings is a group discussion guide. Work through those questions to recap what you have learned over the week and then get together with one of our small groups to strengthen each other in our walk. Even our guests are free to join these groups. Let us know with which group you want to meet and we will help you get there.

      As with every exercise program, it will be easy for us to start strong and then fade after a week or two. Let’s make the commitment and enlist the help of others to hold us accountable to going through this exercise regimen for the whole month. Whether we are already walking with God, just getting started on our exercise regimen or struggling to maintain our workout discipline, this month will help us get on the right track. Let’s learn to lay aside life’s burdens so we can endure the journey with God.

      Start your walks with God today.

Edwin L. Crozier