Lasting Legacy: Spiritual Discipline

[Rev. Doc]

Lasting Legacy: Spiritual Discipline
I Corinthians 9:24-27

A great deal of attention is given to athletes. This has always been true throughout history. Today they are given high salaries, they advertise every product you can think of, and people wear clothing with their names or numbers on them.

But even though many idolize them, they may not witness the hard work and hours of practice it took to get them to the position they are in.

In 1989 Lenny Krayzelburg immigrated to the United States from the Soviet Union. His family arrived when Lenny was 14. He had to commute to swim practice by walking or by bus almost an hour each way. He usually didn’t get home until 9:30 each night.

Marla Runyan, a runner, is legally blind. She learned to run hurdles by counting the steps between them.

Dave Scott worked 55 hours a week as a swimming instructor. He would swim 7000 yards a day; lift weights for an hour or two and ran 30 – 35 miles a week. He was five-time iron man winner.

We don’t know if the apostle Paul had been an athlete in his younger years. But it would appear from his writings that he was a fan of sports as he uses a great deal of imagery from this area of life.

In Paul’s letter to the Corinthians in chapter 9, he comments on two areas:
1. The nature of the prize we pursue in life.
2. The nature of the disciplined training that is necessary to obtain it.

Paul states the fact that in a race only one person can win the prize. Realizing that, we also understand the fact that no one remembers who came in second in most cases.

In 1997 the Denver Broncos won the Super Bowl. However, they were known as “losersâ€

[The Grammarian]

Where do you find these things? They're very insightful.

[Aijin]

Also i would add that fasting is a great way to help achieve this.

Fasting has many benefits, but one of them is that while you are fasting, you are basically putting priority on your spirit rather than your body. It is an intense 'spiritual excersize' where you are buffing up your discipline of spirit over body. You are saying "No, Mr Body, as much as you shout for the things that please you, this time is for my Spirit." Not only do you demonstrate that your spiritual life means more to you, but you also increase this discipline.

[Aijin]

Where do you find these things? They're very insightful.

I dont know about others, but for me, i get answers from many different sources. Pastors, the bible, google, and directly from God. That last one is my best and most frequent source. Many times when i'm talking or thinking about hings i never understood or thought about before, God explains them to me.

God does speak to us afterall. Doesn't God say that His sheep know His voice? I feel that i hear God's voice. It isnt something audible... but words that enter my heart. I compare it to an epiphany, except when you have an epiphany, you are surprised, but with God's voice, the surprise is replaced with the peace that only God can provide.

The more you surrender your life to Him, the more you take on the life of Christ, and the more you get to know God and hear Him better.

But if you're looking for a simple site where the lessons are provided, there are many of them over the net. All you have to do is go looking.

Hope this helped!

[Rev. Doc]

Also i would add that fasting is a great way to help achieve this.

Fasting is certainly a very viable way of drawing closer to God and could be a tool in regard to one's spiritual discipline. However, I generally caution people when they are looking into and making preperation to fast to do several things:

1. Evaluate your current health. Is there anything which could cause physical harm (blood sugar levels, high blood pressure, medications which you are currently taking, etc.). One may even want to consult a doctor if he or she is uncertain if they are physically capable of safely exercising this practice.

2. Have you had a history of eating disorders? Many people, especially younger adults should be extremely careful if this is true. Again, if this is the case physical harm is a real possibility.

3. Are you fasting for the right reasons? I find that many do not have an understanding of what fasting is and the spiritual implications involved. One can be truly blessed through the experience, but one can also become very frustrated spiritually through misunderstandings.

Please understand, I am in no way anti-fast. However, I do not believe that God is seeking for us to harm ourselves physically, emotionally, or spiritually in order to live a more disciplined, Christ-centered life. I do not believe that those who fast are more devoted or live a life closer to the Lord. For those who cannot fast, there are other tools you can utilize in your daily walk and one should not feel guilty concerning this issue.

Thanks for pointing out this Aijin. Great observation.

[Aijin]

Thanks Rev, and i agree: One should understand what fasting is before actually doing it.

[Anna Mae]

Are you fasting for the right reasons? I find that many do not have an understanding of what fasting is and the spiritual implications involved. One can be truly blessed through the experience, but one can also become very frustrated spiritually through misunderstandings.

I've been wondering about fasting for a while. Could you elaborate?

[Anna Mae]

Cool. It reminds me of when Paul compared faith to being an athlete.