Near the stream

Have you ever tried exercising? Or are you someone who does it every day? I tried a walking challenge with my friend. We walked every day, meeting our goals for more than a month. Sometimes, we even surpassed our targets. Those who were close to us looked at our appearances and never noticed the change. But when we stopped, things changed. We added more kilos. It was very visible. Trying to develop good habits, whether physical or spiritual, requires consistent effort. Proverbs 14:23 says, "In all toil there is profit, but mere talk tends only to poverty." We have one life to live and one Savior to live for. Can we make consistent prayer and Bible reading habits to give Him our best? Paul appreciates sportspeople who train every day. He says we are pushing for something much more profitable than that. Are we living with the understanding of that? Maybe we say, "I don't feel like praying or reading." When you try walking, you won't feel like doing it every day. But by doing so, you are burning fat. You are training your weak muscles and strengthening them. Similarly, by praying and reading His word every day, we train our inner man. He or she is becoming stronger inside us. We are building strong muscles. No challenge can stand before you when you allow your inner man to grow in strength. He grows by obeying the Holy Spirit every day. Be conscious of listening and obeying the Spirit of God. Let us be like people in Psalm 1:3: "They are like trees that grow beside a stream, that bear fruit at the right time, and whose leaves don't dry up. They succeed in everything they do." Let us put a full stop to worrying over anything and getting tired of developing good, godly habits. Let us run in such a way as to win the prize.

1 Corinthians 9:24: "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."

Dear God,

Strengthen our inner man. May we regularize our prayer and Bible reading habits. May we worship You with the life we have received from You. Help us to grow every day in strength physically, spiritually, and mentally.

In Jesus' name, we pray. Amen.