Mechanically Sound

Reading: John 14:6-21

When I started my master’s program in Christian leadership, I got to take my first theology class. Truth be told, I wasn’t overly excited about theology, the theology department, or any of my required theology classes. The reason? I didn’t recognize its value in helping people build spiritual fitness because I didn’t really know what theology was. I imagined these ivory tower professors sitting around debating things like how many angels could fit on the head of a pin. Boy was I wrong! Not just about my professors, but also about theology. It is foundational to the journey of becoming spiritually fit.

As a CrossFit coach, when you attend your certification course, you’re introduced to the methodology of the sport – mechanics, consistency, intensity. We train and drill this into our athletes because when we get them out of order, bad things can happen. Mechanics are the foundation to everything we do in the gym. Long before we load up a barbell and go heavy, we’re going to train the movement pattern for how we want to respond when we get under that load. That means tons of reps with no weight or light weight while getting feedback from coaches. Athletes need to be able to achieve sound mechanics and replicate them without being told. This is when you hear your coaches say something like, “trust the process.”

In spiritual fitness, theology is our “mechanics.” What you believe about God is expressed in how you live your life. That makes it pretty important to know what your beliefs are, how you got them, and how you support them. In the reading today, Jesus is preparing the disciples for His departure from earth. And not surprisingly, they’re struggling. But Jesus gives them assurance by saying that God would send another in His place – the Spirit of Truth. Chapter 14 in the book of John is absolutely pivotal to understanding how to build spiritual fitness. The Spirit of God, dwelling inside you, transforms your life. And no matter how much you pray, give, serve, fast, etc., if you’re missing the theological “mechanics” of the Spirit of God, those disciplines alone won’t prepare you for the intensity life will inevitably bring.

The best way to build a spiritual foundation is with others. Pray and ask God to bring someone into your life who has a firm spiritual foundation. Ask them questions like “when did faith first become real to you,” or “what does it mean to be saved by grace?” If you’re further along in your journey, make sure you’re investing in those who are newer to faith. Don’t think that theology is only for someone like a priest or a pastor or a professor. Theology is the foundation on which your spiritual life rests so make sure it’s mechanically sound.

Questions for Reflection:

How would you describe God to someone else?

What’s your process for getting to know God better?

Warming Up

Reading: 1 Timothy 4:1-10

The Olympics are in full force in Tokyo. And while I respect every athlete regardless of their sport of choice (but seriously those ping pong players), we’re now into one of my favorite parts, track and field. I especially love watching the sprinters. With the retirement of Usain Bolt, the men’s field has had some wide-open races, where it seemed almost anyone could win. But long before the starter pistol fires, you’ll find these athletes doing what has become a staple in their way of life – warming up.

As a coach, I know the value of a good warm up. And honestly, the shorter the duration of the work, the longer the warmup should be. Great sprinters know this, and believe it or not, their warmups can be an hour or more. That’s right. When you see that sub ten second 100-meter run, you don’t see the 60-75 minutes they took to get ready. Why do the pros spend so much time preparing for events like these? Athletics weekly says it like this, “A defined warmup is an essential part of any athlete’s methodology for the following two clear functions: injury prevention and performance enhancement.”

Warmups provide the same functions in CrossFit as well. In the gym where I coach, we typically have about three separate warmups before each workout. Our athletes don’t necessarily see them as distinct, but we do. First, we get the body moving with some basic range of motion work. We call it “bottom’s up.” From there, we’ll start to elongate the muscles associated with the major movements in the workout, then we’ll supplement with some conditioning work designed to elevate the heart rate, generate body heat, and prime the nervous system. It’s all to prepare the athlete for the work at hand and enhance the quality of the work they’re about to do.

I don’t think anyone would think twice about the value of warming up before a workout. Certainly, if you’ve been an athlete long enough, you’ve wrestled with the discipline of warming up properly, but regardless of whether you really like warming up or not, its value is not really in question. So, what about your daily warmup for life? Have you ever considered just how valuable the first 60 to 90 minutes of your day are? Just like you have physical warmups before exercise, you need a quality spiritual warmup to get you ready for what the day brings. In the first 60 to 90 minutes of your day, you need to get in some combination of prayer, meditation, worship, and Bible reading. You might be asking yourself, “Does he mean all of that before the first two hours of my day?” Yes! What you do to start your day spiritually is not your workout, it’s your warmup.

So many people treat their spiritual warmup as their workout. Here’s what I mean. They’ll open the morning with some prayer, grab a cup of coffee, rub the sleep out of their eyes, do mindfulness work or gratitude, read a few verses and then check, spiritual workout done for the day. You see the difference? What God is going to do in you and through you is not confined to some limited part of the day. Your spiritual workout is the entire day. When your boss jumps your case, when your kids get sick, when your flight gets canceled, whatever the day brings is the workout. Your morning spiritual warmup functions the same way physical ones do. It enhances the quality of your day regardless of what happens, and it prepares you to discover God’s purposes for you as you make them your own.

If you’re not already, let me encourage you to start your day with a spiritual warmup. Choose one or two of the exercises I suggested and work your way up. If this is already how you start your day, let me remind you this is simply preparation for what lies ahead. Warming up is not working out, but it’s critical to the process. The next time you find yourself in a moment of humility or peace amid chaos, just like the Olympic sprinters, you can give all the credit to your warmup. Because the quality of your warmup determines the quality of your workout.

Questions for Reflection:

What does the first 60 to 90 minutes of your day look like? How much would you say is devoted to building intimacy with God?

Paul tells Timothy to train for godliness. How would you explain the concept of training for godliness to someone else?

God's Will is not a Bullseye

Reading: Galatians 5:13-26

When I began my spiritual journey, the will of God was this mysterious thing that I just couldn’t wrap my head around. The enormity of the Creator of all things having a will and a desire for my life – that was intense to think about! But like with anything, as the journey gets under way, you begin to see things in a different manner. And so it was with God’s will. I felt compelled to start some spiritual habits. I felt convicted to stop some ways of thinking and ways of acting. Even though I couldn’t have told you that I was within God’s will for my life, as I reflect back, I know that’s exactly what was happening.

But let me let you in on a little secret. Some of you probably need to sit down before you read this, because this may wreck your theology. The will of God is not a bullseye. What? That’s right. No bullseye. Do you know how impossible it would be to live a fulfilling spiritual life with a bullseye as your goal? You know why? Because you would always be getting it wrong. Or worse, you’d be paralyzed at making the easiest decisions for fear they’re not “God’s will.”

Do you pray over every decision you make? Thinking about brushing your teeth, better dial up the Big Guy first. Chick Fil A or a burger, man I’m gonna need a scripture on that. Of course you don’t. Well, how do you know that beef is God’s will and not chicken? You don’t, because they’re both God’s will. You can eat cow or poultry and be pleasing to God. You can brush your teeth now, or do it later, and you are within the will of God. That’s because God gives us the freedom to choose many things that are within His will – our challenge is to choose them with joy!

Think of God’s will as more of a roadway. You’re on a nice big highway with no traffic, great scenery, top down, and your favorite song on. You’re in God’s will. But to the right and left of the road are ditches. Those are your selfishness, your self-centeredness, your pride, you know all the things. It’s not God’s will for your life for you to think of yourself as more important than everyone else. So, get out of the ditch and get back on the road. But what car to buy, what home to sell, what business to start, if you have freedom to choose, choose with joy!

The way we grow to know God’s will better is through the Holy Spirit. There’s this tug-of-war for your heart going on. On one hand is your selfish nature, on the other hand is God’s Spirit. The Spirit draws you onto the road of the will of God where your life becomes an expression of His love. There’s freedom on the road so enjoy it and enjoy knowing you’ll never hunt for another bullseye again.

Questions for Reflection:

Why do we ask God to help with certain decisions and not others?

Is the idea of God’s will as a roadway rather than a bullseye reasonable? Why or why not?