When I operated a personal training studio a number of years ago, some clients would wonder why they weren’t losing weight even though they’d been working out for several weeks. The issue was always the same–they hadn’t changed their eating habits. Somehow they thought that two one-hour workouts each week would be enough to accomplish their goals. It wasn’t.
The answer was to go back to what I’d showed them at the beginning. Reduce sugar. Increase protein. Eat five or six smaller meals rather than two or three big ones.
When it comes to your relationship with the Lord, does it sometimes feel like you’re not “getting the results” you’d hoped for? Are you frustrated? Does it feel like something is just off?
Maybe it’s time to go back to what He has already told us to do.
Deuteronomy 10:12-13 makes it pretty clear…
And now, O Israel, what does the LORD your God ask of you but to fear the LORD your God, to walk in all his ways, to love him, to serve the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul, and to observe the LORD’s commands and decrees that I am giving you today for your own good?
Those words were written for Israel, but Romans 15:4 reminds us, “For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through endurance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope.”
If you’re feeling stuck or frustrated in your relationship with the Lord, if you need some hope…maybe it’s time to return to the basics and make sure you’re doing what God has already showed you.
1. Fear Him. That means we respect Him and live in awe of Him.
2. Walk in all His ways. We set the course of our lives toward Him and His ways, not our own.
3. To love Him. When we love someone or something, we willingly give our time, our devotion and our money, don’t we? Do we love Him that way?
4. To serve Him with all our heart and soul. We give Him our very best.
5. To observe His commands and decrees. We obey Him because He is worthy of our obedience, but observing His commands is also for our “own good.”
I’m not suggesting these five things are easy, they’re just not difficult to understand. I suspect if you’re having some trouble figuring out what God wants for you–it may be time to go back to the “basics.” Work on these five and a lot of other things will fall into place.
By the way, if you want to lose weight and get in shape, check out this post.
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