It's obvious from looking at me that I don't like to exercise. I hate to sweat. Hate the look, the feel, the smell of all things sweaty. The chemical composition of sweat, a nurse once told me, is just about the same as that of urine. No wonder I hate it.
Nonetheless I have been sacrificing my sense of what smells good on the altar of that which is good: physical fitness. Daily the Lord has to boost my desire from zero to twenty because I am not one of those girls who loves the gym, can't wait to run her three miles, or thinks a size 8 is big.
I am a girl who loves to sit and read, sit and eat, sit and dream, sit and write. You see the common denominator?
But the Lord amazed me once again today. He not only motivated to get on the dreadmill , but I really believe He directed me first to pop in an old Matthew Ward CD. Matthew Ward, not West. We are going back a few years, so if you've never heard of the Second Chapter of Acts, trust me, I'm not referring to the 47 verses of a Pauline epistle.
I put the CD on to play straight through. The first song lifted my spirits heavenward as I pictured the Lord, "seated on high" while His "train fills the temple" and "the whole earth ...filled with His glory." It was more of a slow-down song, so I hopped off and switched the CD to shuffle. I got an upbeat song that I thought was a Sovereign Grace oldie original. Doubt it!
I kept increasing my pace and singing very loudly. Oh, the bliss when I'm the only one home: I sing at the top of my lungs.
Before I knew it, my 20 minutes were up but I kept right on going, praising God and "sweatin' to the oldies" of Matthew Ward. I was nearly weeping to the words of "My Redeemer". I love to meditate on what Jesus has redeeemed me from and for!
How faithful is God to give grace for the things He calls us to and asks us to sacrifice for the greater good. I pray that my desire to steward the only body He's given me
will continue to result in a sacrifice of praise .
What is your "altar" --the thing you come to with dread because you have to give up something you enjoy for something God wants for you or commands of you? Be specific, because I know we all say just about "everything that isn't my gift."
Nonetheless I have been sacrificing my sense of what smells good on the altar of that which is good: physical fitness. Daily the Lord has to boost my desire from zero to twenty because I am not one of those girls who loves the gym, can't wait to run her three miles, or thinks a size 8 is big.
I am a girl who loves to sit and read, sit and eat, sit and dream, sit and write. You see the common denominator?
But the Lord amazed me once again today. He not only motivated to get on the dreadmill , but I really believe He directed me first to pop in an old Matthew Ward CD. Matthew Ward, not West. We are going back a few years, so if you've never heard of the Second Chapter of Acts, trust me, I'm not referring to the 47 verses of a Pauline epistle.
I put the CD on to play straight through. The first song lifted my spirits heavenward as I pictured the Lord, "seated on high" while His "train fills the temple" and "the whole earth ...filled with His glory." It was more of a slow-down song, so I hopped off and switched the CD to shuffle. I got an upbeat song that I thought was a Sovereign Grace oldie original. Doubt it!
I kept increasing my pace and singing very loudly. Oh, the bliss when I'm the only one home: I sing at the top of my lungs.
Before I knew it, my 20 minutes were up but I kept right on going, praising God and "sweatin' to the oldies" of Matthew Ward. I was nearly weeping to the words of "My Redeemer". I love to meditate on what Jesus has redeeemed me from and for!
How faithful is God to give grace for the things He calls us to and asks us to sacrifice for the greater good. I pray that my desire to steward the only body He's given me
will continue to result in a sacrifice of praise .
What is your "altar" --the thing you come to with dread because you have to give up something you enjoy for something God wants for you or commands of you? Be specific, because I know we all say just about "everything that isn't my gift."
1 comment:
Man oh man, I just deleted this big comment and now I have to try this again! Go girl! It is so hard to stay with the exercise, but we feel so much better about ourselves after we accomplish the task. My altar right now is fasting. My mind and body is rebelling against the discipline to make it thru the fast. I have done great at this in the past but right now, not so well. I need to give it up to my Heavenly Father and except a nudge in the right direction. I can only see Him shaking His Holy Head each time I try and fail.So you stay on that treadmill, enjoy your music and let it all go! Pray that I will stop being such a rebel.
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