I have a rather large piece of exercise equipment here in our family/bonus room. It offers the ability to do about 7,000 different exercises. Regular use of this monster and a proper diet should put me in the physical shape of a Greek god. There’s only one problem…..OK… two problems. I need to eat a proper diet, and I actually have to use the machine. We’ve had the machine for several years. For a while, its lack of use was causing it to collect not just dust bunnies, but dust mammoths. Now, it gets cleaned off more often, but it still doesn’t get used. Cindy suggests we give it away to some other deserving person who can put it in their corner and ignore it. But I won’t let her do it. Having it there makes me think that my getting healthy is just around the corner. I’ve convinced myself that all I need is one small nudge and I’ll be pumping iron. That’s right… just a baby step away is the body of Conan the Barbarian. Why just even thinking about it, makes my biceps swell. Please ladies, get control of yourselves. Alas, I haven’t found the required nudge to get me off my couch, and on the workout bench. I’ve convinced myself that I’m too busy exercising my mouse-clicking finger to do a little bend and stretch. It’s too easy for me to put off ‘til tomorrow what should have been done last decade. Besides, I have to climb the steps to the second floor just to get here….isn’t that enough punishment for one day???
The metal behemoth in the corner reminds me of other good intentions I have. If I did half of what I intended to do, I’d be an impressive person. Why, I’d probably get nominated for a Nobel prize. Imagine it….I’d brush and floss! My grass would be green and my flowers would grow! I’d be able to complete a sudoku puzzle! I’d would write sermons that would keep people awake! I’d learn how to fold a fitted sheet so it comes out looking square! My prayer life would be legendary! I’d actually make it all the way through a book longer than Green Eggs and Ham! And my “to do list” would actually get thinner than the “yellow pages”!
For some folks there is a rather large book that is collecting dust somewhere in their house. Just like my exercise machine, it sits there calling to be used, to change your life. But it gets ignored. Maybe tomorrow, I’m too busy watching reruns of Mork and Mindy. II Timothy 3 says, “16All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, 17so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.” The Bible is a life changing book. It offers us a greater understanding of who we are as God’s people, and who God is. It’s time to dig it out from the bottom shelf of the night stand and put it to use. It’s time to discover what God’s Word has to say to you.
Chad