April 6, 2021 CAC Living Water Devotional : Topic – FITNESS, NOT FATNESS
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LIVING WATER CAC DAILY DEVOTIONAL GUIDE
Tuesday, April 6, 2021 – International Day of sport for the Development & Peace
FITNESS, NOT FATNESS.
Read: 1 Corinthians 9:24-27
1 Corinthians 9:24-27 Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one receives the prize? So run that you may obtain it.
Every athlete exercises self-control in all things. They do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable.
So I do not run aimlessly; I do not box as one beating the air.
But I discipline my body and keep it under control, lest after preaching to others I myself should be disqualified.
MEMORISE:
But I discipline my body and keep it under control, lest after preaching to others I myself should be disqualified. (1 Corinthians 9:27)
EXPOSITION
As we commemorate the International Day of Sport for Development and Peace, today, there is no doubt we are currently faced with health issues around the world. It is becoming increasingly hard to discover one truly and totally healthy individual among ten. This is, arguably, the consequence of a poor diet. When it comes to proper nutrition, quantity of intake is not as important as its quality. These are two different things entirely. Most junks people consume only succeed in making them fat but not fit! Fatness at times can be associated with unfitness.
Holy Spirit through this dose of the Living Water is now charging us to be wary of things that render them fat but not not fit for God’s kingdom (Lk.9:62). Beyond food and nutrition, God wants you to rejects things that brings physical wellness but result in spiritual ‘kwashiorkor’ (1 Tim.4:8).
Sportsnen and women who have chosen it as means of livelihood cannot afford to unnecessarily become fat or weighty! For professional footballers, this is real yardstick for their fitness on the pitch. They are always advised to lose rather than gain more pounds of weight in order to enhance their fitness. If therefore people who apply thus disciplinary measure do so to clinch trophies/titles that are perishable, should not we, who fight for unperishable crowns do more (1 Cor. 9:25)?
If sportsmen would go to any length (discipline) to keep themselves in proper shape, Christians should assiduously strive to abstain from seemingly “profitable” things but rather them unfit for the glorious and incorruptible crowns (1 Pet 5:4). Your spirit-man is the candle of the Lamb of the Living God, as he needs to be constantly fed with prayer, fasting, meditation in the Word, and total holy living. By so doing, you are equipping yourself to be fit for the crowns awaiting the triumphant Church (Rev.2:10). Will you pass God’s fitness test?
PRAYER POINTS:
1. God help me to discard things that render me unfit for Your Kingdom.
2. I receive the grace to be passionately involved in spiritual exercises that would make me fit the way God wants it.
3. Lord, help the leaders of Your people to be more concerned about discipleship of the people.
EXTRA READINGS FOR TODAY: Joshua 10:16-12:13; Luke 7:40-8:11