SCRIPTURE

“Someone asked him, ‘Lord, are only a few people going to be saved?’ He said to them, ‘Make every effort to enter through the narrow door, because many, I tell you, will try to enter and will not be able to.’” (Luke 13:23-24)

DEVOTIONS

Last week I shared with you some workout tips from Tony Horton, who produced the P90X DVD’s some of us have been using three times a week since January.  They apply to other parts of life as well.  Here are a few more.

Don’t smash your face.  In one of the exercises, we lie on the floor and do tricep extensions with dumbbells.  In life as well as exercise, it’s a good idea to avoid the unintended consequences of doing the right thing. Slow down and be careful.

Take mini-breaks.  Tony advocates pausing even in the middle of a series of repetitions, to regain energy and focus for finishing well.  In a fast-paced world where we convince ourselves we have to be on the go constantly, mini-breaks for silence, stillness, and prayer are more needed than ever.

Don’t try to be a superhero.  Injuries and frustration result in a workout when we try to do more than we are able.  So it is with life.  The world only needs one Messiah, and the job is filled.

Quality over quantity.  I need this reminder constantly.  Whether it’s in reading, devotions, personal interaction, or any number of other areas, doing more things less well is not as effective as we think.

Work around the injury. In the past, I have always used injury as an excuse to quite working out all together.  Tony reminds me that an injury to one body part doesn’t mean we stop all together.  So it is when we are hurting in one area of life.  Even if it’s time to hit the pause button in that area, it’s not a good reason to give up trying everywhere else.

Bring it. This is Tony’s constant encouragement to do your best.  As Jesus said, “Make every effort to enter through the narrow door.”  Salvation is by grace, but grace should only push us to be all God wants us to be.

PRAYER

Father, thank you for Jesus, who makes life worthwhile and possible.  Help me live a “no excuses” life, totally committed to him and constantly vigilant toward temptation, in Jesus’ name, Amen.