Training An Athlete

I’ve enjoyed several Wimbledon tennis matches this week.  No, I haven’t  actually been there at center court, but I’ve been a very excited armchair cheerleader, calling out encouragements to my personal favorites.

As a part of the viewing, the TV station has provided background information about the top seeded players and interviews with them.  I always admire the rigorous training they must adhere to if they want to hold the winner’s cup.  They practice tennis for several hours every day.  They exercise in the gym, and work out with a personal trainer.  They sit in ice baths.  Constantly, they are maintaining muscle strength, and sharpening their focus on the game.  It’s imperative that they do both; exercise and focus.

They could exercise for weeks on end, then play a game with no focus, and they will most certainly lose.  The opposite is also true; they can play with great exuberance and focus, but if they have not trained properly, they won’t have the strength and agility to get all the shots.  To be a great athlete takes great exercise and great focus.

Such training and focus is no different in our spiritual world.  We can be an avid  and focused student of God’s Word, but without exercising application of what we learn, it is to no avail.  One without the other will not make us great athletes in the godly race that Father asks us to run.

Take a look at the following:

Spiritual exercise – “Let the words of Christ, in all their richness, live in your hearts and make you wise…”  Colossians 3:16

“Dear children, let us stop just saying we love each other; let us really show it by our actions.  It is by our actions that we know we are living in the truth.”  I John 3:18-19

Focus – “Look straight ahead, and fix your eyes on what lies before you.  Mark out a straight path for your feet; then stick to the path and stay safe.  Don’t get sidetracked; keep your feet from following evil.”  Proverbs 4: 25-27

“Since you are risen with Christ, seek those things which are above…set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth.”  Colossians 3:1-2

So, let’s exercise and focus, training ourselves to be godly athletes, and be filled with joy running the race.