Anyone who has ever exercised understands that some days are harder than others. It takes discipline and sacrifice to maintain any workout regimen and to see the results or the fruits of our labors. And there are some workouts or routines we just dread for whatever the reason. It might be a particular body part that we don’t enjoy working or perhaps isn’t as strong as others. Or it might be because certain body parts are harder to develop and therefore don’t yield the visible results as quickly as others. In any case, there are some workouts we dread; for some it’s working out as a whole! We know the difficulty, commitment and discipline necessary (not to mention the time; self-sacrifice) and we take a pass. Oh we won’t deny the benefit it gives our body; we just don’t like the process.
Our spiritual walk is much the same. When you think about it, salvation was the easy part for us because it didn’t cost us anything, but never forget how much it cost God. It caused Him much pain and sacrifice to place His spotless Son upon the cross for the very sinners who would reject Him. It cost Jesus being separated from His heavenly Father for your sin and for mine. The spiritual pain He endured we can never fathom, yet alone the physical (Heb. 12:1-2).
The greatest difficulty for us is exhibiting the fruit of salvation. God says we need to “work out” our salvation (Phi. 2:12). Just as we work out to become stronger physically, we also must work out to become stronger spiritually. But in order to see results we must maintain the discipline and sacrifice necessary over the long haul. This idea of self-sacrifice is foreign to us. It’s contrary to our natural, human nature. That’s’ why Paul said what he did in Phil. 2:3-4 about looking out for other people: it doesn’t come naturally to us. What comes naturally is putting ourselves first…in everything. So “working out” spiritually is no different because it takes personal sacrifice and discipline on our part if we want to see fruit. Jesus didn’t ask us to die for Him per se, but to lay down our lives for Him; every day in every moment (Gal. 2:20; 5:24; Phil. 3:7; Rom. 6:5-6). And the perfect example of that was Jesus Himself (1 Pet. 2:21; John 13:15, 34). As Oswald Chambers said: “For thirty-three years Jesus laid down His life to do the will of His Father.”
So, are you ready to work out????
Spiritual Workout
