Showing posts with label Bible. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Bible. Show all posts

An underrated word...

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Sunday, August 1, 2010 9:51 PM Posted by Joe Nicholls

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Serenity: the state of being calm, peaceful, and untroubled.

Serenity prayer with a few more lines.
This "state of being" is something that we can work on and strive for, and one that God and the Bible can help us realize. There is a rather famous poem/ prayer that I think about to help me stay focused.

God, grant me the serenity
To accept the things that I cannot change;
Courage to change the things I can;
And the wisdom to know the difference.
- Credited to Reinhold Niebuhr

What an amazing prayer. Let's break this down a little bit:
  • Grant me the serenity to accept the things that I cannot change: There are things in this life that we cannot control and to be able to accept that is a step in the right direction. Life has enough pressure, stress and worries that we do not need to add to them.
  • To have the courage to change the things I can: There are times that something needs to change; whether that be our actions, our environment, our thoughts. . . and they are not going to change themselves. The change is not always going to be easy or feel good, but if that's what you feel is right, we need the courage to make that change. 
  • To have the wisdom to know the difference: This is the toughest one... how in the world do we know the difference in the moment. It's impossible to know for sure, but with prayer and faith in God, you have something to refer to while trying to decipher the two. 
Lets dig into the Bible a little bit to see some verses about turning to Him, tough times and worrying: 
Psalm 32: 8- I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go, I will counsel you and watch over you. 

1 Peter 5:7 - Cast your cares upon the Lord, for He cares about you.

Psalm 27:5 For in the day of trouble He will keep me safe in his dwelling; He will hide me in the shelter of His tabernacle and set me high upon a rock. 

Matthew 6:27- Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?

So when times feel rough and you are down, think about this prayer and how much God is in control. All we have to do is give our problems and issues to Him. This is not to say that we get the answer we always want (we all know that isn't true), but that He will guide us through whatever it is.  

Prayer and exercise

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Tuesday, June 22, 2010 7:21 AM Posted by Joe Nicholls

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This last weekend, I ran the Wasatch Back Relay with a group of people from my church. For those of you who do not know, the Wasatch Back Relay is a 24 hour running event that involves 189 miles and 12 people. Each runner takes 3 legs ranging from 3 to 9 miles and varying levels of incline or decline. 

I was added to the team about a month before hand and it was a busy month at that, so I didn't get to train much. I also made the decision to run without music; so it was just me, the road and God. 

It was an amazing experience. It was my first true event of any length or difficulty so it was fun from that aspect alone. But the closeness I felt with God as I ran was even better. I am not going to sit here and say that I saw angles, or a figure of Jesus talking to me, but it was like talking to my best friend, father, mentor,  and boss all in one. It made me realize that there is no doubt we need to keep a constant open conversation with God. 

1 Thessalonians 5: 16-18 tells us to be joyful always and pray continually. If we give God the things in life that stress us, He will give us the energy to take care of our bodies and help each other.
We should feel comfortable going to God with anything and talking to Him in a normal conversation, no need to be formal or worried about "doing it" wrong. (1 John 5: 14-15)

So next time you don't think you have the energy to start a workout or finish a workout, say a little prayer and ask God to help you with the things that are stressing you out. As a matter of fact, do it right now. And again in 15 minutes. And again in an hour. . . .

Being Prepared

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Saturday, June 12, 2010 12:24 PM Posted by Joe Nicholls

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God has a will for us. We do not know what it is, but we need to strive to live out His will, not ours'.

How do you do this if you don't know what it is?

Pray and be prepared. (Proverbs 3:5-6)

Ask for His guidance to know what He wants from us and to help us live out his will and not ours.

We need to be prepared in many aspects:

  1. Mentally- We need to be prepared for His answers to our questions and requests. (It's not always what we want) - Psalm 32:8
  2. Spiritually- If we are meditating on His word, the Bible, we can know that what you are hearing/ feeling is Biblical and not satan trying to guide you down the wrong path. Ephesians 6:11
  3. Physically- Maybe God's next calling for us is to work with the children in our church or a mission trip to Africa, we need to have our bodies prepared to serve God in any way we are asked. 
This is where exercise and health come into play. If we are lazy and out of shape, we may not be able to answer the bell so to speak. So next time you are struggle to start a walk, run or workout... remember that God may call you to do something that is more physical than what you are doing now. 

My favorite word:

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Friday, June 4, 2010 10:33 AM Posted by Joe Nicholls

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Hallelujah


To me it really signifies my appreciation for what I have. It is used 24 times in the Old Testament in the Bible and when broken down it means "Praise Yahweh".. 


Yahweh is a personal name for God. The best known meaning for Yahweh is "He brings into existence whatever exists" but there are many theories on this. 


What word is your favorite word? Any words that have a slightly different meaning for you? 


Trying saying Hallelujah when something good happens to you... 

Being alert and self-controlled

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Wednesday, June 2, 2010 8:19 AM Posted by Joe Nicholls

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The Bible talks a lot about self-control. Here is one example:
1 Peter 5:8 "Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour."

What does this have to do with exercise and health? A couple of things really...

First, it can take self-control to go do something rather than sit on the couch and watch your favorite movie or television show.

Second, one of the side effects of exercise is that your mind is sharper and more alert, which in turn helps you have more self-control. I have no doubts that God made our bodies this way to help reinforce the activity that you do.

So.. next time you don't feel like working out or going for a hike, say a little prayer and ask God to give you the energy because you want to live a life for Him and have self control (or something along those lines). You may be surprised that the workouts you don't feel like doing, can be the best ones!

Does God really care if I exercise?

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Saturday, May 22, 2010 12:56 PM Posted by Joe Nicholls

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Yes, yes He does.

In 1 Corinthians, Paul wrote that our bodies were bought at a price and that we should honor God with our bodies. This is in chapter 6, verse 19 and 20, "Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; 20 you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your body."

At this point he was talking about sexual impurities, but this applies to so many other parts of our lives. Our bodies were bought at a price.

A large price.

An enormous price that we cannot fathom.

If we focus on taking care of our body, then we will be able to better perform God's will for us. This means eating the right things and being active. Get off the couch, don't watch as much television and go for a hike, play a sport, swim, chase the kids, run, walk... just do something! It helps.
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