Body Building // Jude 1:20-21

There are several instances in the Scriptures where we read about building a life of faith. Jesus needs to be the foundation, because everything else is sinking sand. Then, we need to make sure our thoughts are on God and godly things so our behavior can be aligned with our beliefs. What is also pretty awesome is seen in ways God arranges us as individuals into the larger body we know as the Church. All of us working and striving together through things like prayer, love, and showing mercy help us unite for the sake of growing stronger. That gets me thinking about body building where athletes will lift weights to develop strength, do cardiovascular exercise to build endurance, practice stretching to enhance flexibility, and then rest to get the most out of all their other work. That kind of body building has a neat parallel to building the Body of Christ (the church) as we have burdens to carry, we get stretched by life, we have to walk in faith, and find time to rest with the Lord. It all seems to connect pretty well, wouldn’t you say? So, as we think about the roles we play in building the church, may we never forget the individual discipline we need to live out a life of faith, hope, and love. This kind of body building makes us strong so we can be strength for a desperate world.