You can find two types of people at the gym.
The first group is easily identifiable. They are the ones huffing and puffing, sweating, possibly grunting, or making other noises. They are the people who came to the gym to work out. They are pushing themselves because well . . . that’s the whole point of coming to the gym, isn’t it?
The second group is also easily identifiable. They are the ones who aren’t huffing and puffing, sweating, or making any kind of noise associated with exercise. They’re too busy looking at their phone, watching tv, or chatting it up with other people. They came to the gym so they could tell everyone—they came to the gym. When the doctor points out their weight gain since their last checkup, they’ll just shrug their shoulders and tell him or her they go the gym three times a week.
Following Jesus is a lot like that. There are some who get baptized because it’s the thing to do. And having checked that box, they settle in and get comfortable because if anyone asks, they can tell them that they checked the baptism box.
Then there are others who get baptized because they want to give their life to the Lord. You can always tell these people because as soon as they come up out of the water, they get busy living out their baptism. Like Jesus, they want to be about their Father’s business. They’re not passive, they push themselves to learn, live, and love as Jesus did.
That’s the kind of man Paul was. He wanted to give himself completely to the Lord and be fully used by Him. Even when he was imprisoned, he was writing to churches and different disciples to encourage them in their walk with the Lord. In one of those letters, he said this:
I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus
took hold of me (Philippians 3:12).
Paul realized that God had a purpose for his life. He didn’t call Paul just so he could spend eternity with the Lord—He had something for him to do on this earth and in this life. And Paul got busy doing it. He left no stone unturned in his quest to serve God completely. He pushed himself.
The same thing is true for anyone who belongs to Jesus Christ. God has a purpose for your life. If you’re not sure what that is, the best way to find out is to get busy serving somewhere. There are always plenty of opportunities to do that. The Lord will get you where you need to be.
Don’t be someone who just goes to church—press on and be the church!
A Taste of Grace with Bruce Green 