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READ:
Romans 1:21-25 – “For though they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God or show gratitude…They exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served something created instead of the Creator, who is praised forever.”

John 4:23 – “But the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father is seeking such people to worship him.”

REFLECT:
There are countless things in the world for which we should be thankful: life, breath, the smell of rain, a beautiful sunset, friends, spouses, children, family, sex, health, money, jobs, bacon, caffeine, strawberries, physical strength, our favorite training apparel, and so on. These are all things to be enjoyed. But how often do we see good things get misplaced by our over-desiring of them, and they transform into our “god-things?” When good things become god-things we’ve dethroned God and an idol is born!

So we see in the universe there are two categories: the Creator and the created.  When people focus on God as their primary source of enjoyment, they receive love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control, and God gets shown as the Glorious One.  However, when anything else takes His rightful position, we ultimately receive the wages of counterfeit glory:  competitive bitterness, anxiety, lust, aggressiveness, impatience, resentfulness, stress, insecurity, and inner rage. These all ultimately lead to death.

The Games, the Open, local competitions, daily workouts, Sunday runs in the park, and even YOU were not created to be the focus of your life. They were created and allowed by God as a gift for your enjoyment and His glory. Hitting a workout is a gift from God to enjoy as a celebratory appreciation of the life and health He’s given you. And, it is also much more!  It is a gift and a means to share with others your thanksgiving to God for how kind He’s been to you and how glorious He truly is.

RESPOND:
1.   Start a 5-minute timer and list everything that comes to mind for which YOU are thankful
2.   Identify which items on the list have become “god-things” in your life
3.   How has your fitness become a “god-thing?”
4.   If you could never workout again, how would you feel?
5.   Thank God for His many blessings through fitness and every other created thing He has given you to enjoy