Jan 22, 2026 – Look Up
I met with a personal trainer this morning. I’ve never done that before. I’ve never wanted to do that before. I don’t even like going to a gym because I figure, by the time I get there and back, I could have gotten in a workout at home, but that would only be true IF I could be disciplined enough to do some exercises and not make excuses. Many times through the years I have made a decision about a certain exercise routine and have stuck with it – but never for more than a few months and sometimes only based on the length of time I paid for. The feel-good vibes don’t really keep me motivated past a certain point.
Toned fitness gurus on TV and in magazines do catch my attention with their exercises, eating plans, and supplements to try, but what really inspired me to actually drive to the gym this morning was my neighbor’s arms which I noticed one morning last summer while we were having coffee. She said they were the result of working out with her trainer. It wasn’t yesterday or last week or last month that I noticed her arms. It has taken many months to express interest in trying what she was doing and to be willing to take the call from the trainer without putting him off. Responding to the call of faith can take time too.
Even if people see and hear preachers and lay people professing faith, it’s typically those closer to their inner circle who affect change in them. It’s more valid and intriguing to us to want to know more when we see something (faith, exercise, nutrition) “working” in the life of someone we know personally. And it usually takes time and continued experiences to encourage buy-in. God knows how to orchestrate those experiences to suit each one of us. When Pastor Chris Hodges was the head pastor at Church of the Highlands, he used to say something like “come and kick the tires” as his way of encouraging people to attend services, join small groups, and be part of experiences that soften and open them to God’s calling.
JA – “I AM WORTHY of all your confidence, all your trust. There are people and things that deserve some of your confidence and trust, but only I deserve all of it…. Though it is natural for you to want to be in control of your life, I can empower you to live supernaturally, resting in My sovereign control…. Instead of letting anxious thoughts roam freely in your mind, lasso them by voicing your hope in Me.” See Psalm 18:2.
Power – Joyce uses Ephesians 4:22- 24 to point out, “In God’s order of things, right thinking comes first, then right action follows…. verse 23…. tells us how to get from verse 22 (acting improperly) to verse 24 (acting properly)…. It is impossible to get from wrong behavior to right behavior without first changing your thoughts to line up with God’s Word and will.”
Utmost – Chambers asks, “Do we expect God to come to us with His blessings and save us? He says – ‘Look unto Me, and be saved.’ “[Isaiah 45:22] Like with many things in our lives, the motivation to go to the gym doesn’t just come to us. Information and opportunities are all around us but we have to pay attention and be discerning. We have to want the help to make changes and we have to actually reach out for that help. It’s pretty much the same with the call to faith and with growing in our faith. We have to look to God and pay attention to the ways He’s reaching out to lead us.
Chambers continues, “We get preoccupied and sulky with God, while all the time He is saying – ‘Look up and be saved.’ The difficulties and trials, the casting about in our minds as to what we shall do this summer, or tomorrow, all vanish when we look to God.” It’s interesting to me that “summer” is mentioned here after I started off talking about summer and that I didn’t react to what was before me then or even the next day or weeks. It took a while for that desire to wake up enough for me to do something about wanting more. It sometimes happens that way with faith as we are gradually drawn in by the people and experiences around us. When we do look beyond ourselves and “Look up,” we find our Help.
Prevail #22 – Larson speaks from Leviticus 26:35 and writes again about rest but some of what she is saying about responding to what is needed in our lives, can also apply to today’s topic of exercise, and of faith. Larson explains, “God warned His people that if they refused to acknowledge Him by honoring the Sabbath, they would endure unimaginable hardship and suffer great loss. [This can apply to almost anything we neglect.] …God issues a warning to us, but if we blow right past it, He will allow us to suffer the consequences. One way or another, He will get our attention.”
A friend will say something, or we will hear something on TV or the radio, or we will read something somewhere that resonates with what has been coming across our radar lately…and by radar I mean what the Holy Spirit has been trying to get our attention about. Larson continues, “Is there any area of your life currently begging for your attention? [body and/or soul] You’ll do your best when you put Him first…. Pay attention to the warning signals God places in your life. God knows what’s best for you, and His plans for you are good.”
Max writes, “A divine spark indwells you. When you say yes to God, he blows on that holy ember, and it begins to flame. It grows day by day within you. Are you perfect? No. But you are being made perfect. And he has a wild and inexplicable love for you. His love for you does not depend on you. You are God’s idea. God’s child. Created in God’s image.”
JC – “Strive to trust Me in more and more areas of your life. Anything that tends to make you anxious is a growth opportunity…. If you believe that I am sovereign over every aspect of your life, it is possible to trust Me in all situations…. Start at the present moment – accepting things exactly as they are – and search for My way in the midst of those circumstances.” See Psalm 52:8 and Proverbs 3:5-6.
Streams – Cowman also looks back to the theme of rest as she shares from John Ruskin, “There is no music during a musical rest, but the rest is part of the making of the music. In the melody of our life, the music is separated here and there by rests…. God sends us times of forced leisure by allowing sickness, disappointed plans, and frustrated efforts…. We grieve that our part is missing in the music that continually rises to the ear of our Creator…. God does not write the music of our lives without a plan. Our part is to learn the tune and not be discouraged during the rests…. If we will only look up, God Himself will count the time for us…. [like my trainer is counting the repetitions for me and how he encourages me to rest between each set of reps] The process is often slow and painful in this life, yet how patiently God works to teach us! And how long He waits for us to learn the lesson!”
[During one of the exercises this morning, my trainer told me to look up as he patiently started me on this path to better fitness.]
