Think, Eat, Exercise

So I was watching Biggest Loser last night (one of the best shows on TV by the way), and heard something that seemed very profound and yet very simple all at the same time.

As Bob (one of the trainers for those who don't know) was talking to the contestants about the process of changing their lives through what they are doing on the show, he told them:

"It all comes down to thinking, eating, and exercising. In that order."

Not bad advice for  those looking to break the weight loss roller coaster, but pretty good advice for Christians as well. As we strive to draw ever closer to our Lord, often times we struggle to take that next step. We get discouraged or distracted when we have a set back or a challenge bigger than what we think we can overcome. But if we stick to the principle of "think, eat, exercise; in that order", our relationship with Him will continually grow stronger and closer.

Think - to meditate, to spend significant time focused on a thought or idea.
How long do spend meditating on God's word? His plan for your life? The opportunities He has placed in front of you? How much time do you spend in meditative prayer (prayer in which we are not asking for blessings but seeking guidance and understanding of His will)?

Eat - to consume, to nourish, seeking to be filled
What are you doing on a daily, weekly, or hourly basis to be fed? If I'm hungry it's all I seem to be able to think about until I get something to eat. But am I that way when I'm spiritually hungry or do I just put off that hunger until a convenient time? How can we expect to be active and growing if we have no nourishment with which to carry on?

Exercise - work out, keep fit, train, apply, put in effort
You can think and eat all you want but if you don't do something with all that stored energy, it simply turns to excess and feeds are laziness. What are you doing on a regular basis to apply what you think and eat? How are you keeping fit spiritually?

All good questions and hopefully a little self evaluation will be a great motivator for you, but don't miss perhaps the most important part of the whole thing: IN THAT ORDER!

You see God has a very specific plan for us and in order in which we are to prepare for it. If we are not first consulting Him, listening to Him, focusing on His will for our lives the rest is wasted motion. So after we have begun the journey of thinking and dwelling on His plans, only then are we even ready to start eating. We all have the ability to eat anytime we want but it is not until we know we need to eat and what it is we need that we can consume the "bread of life" and "life giving waters". I f we aren't aware of what God is calling us to we are simply eating for the sake of eating or eating out of boredom. Once we know the plan, are filled with His energy giving food supply, then we are called to put it into action. He finally has us as ready as we will ever be and that's when He gives us the opportunity to exercise our faith to the world.

"Think, eat, exercise. In that order." Good advise for someone like me training to run.
Even better advice for someone like me, a christian, training to run God's race; not just to finish but to win a crown.

"Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last, but we do it to get a crown that will last forever."      2 Corinthians 9:24-25