Have I trained enough? How long does training take? What will the results be? Those are three questions that haven’t stopped repeating in my head since learning about training my core. While I was rock climbing a boulder, I couldn’t get past a certain point. Every time I would reach for the next hold, I would miss it and fall about nine feet. I became aggravated, and a fellow climber suggested I work out my core that week. The next week after training I finished the route with ease. Working my core had strengthened my whole body!
I don’t train for fun. Training is to work my body to perform better in whatever it is I’m training for. I found out that my core’s strength helps other parts of my body, and that without it I am weak. That is why I needed to train my core, because it wasn’t strong in the way it needed to be, and it was hindering me from growing as a climber. When I wrote the post about training my core last week, I had learned I needed to focus on training my spiritual core, which is my relationship with Christ. What I hadn’t learned yet is what results would come from training spiritually.
I began searching God’s Word for an answer to those questions. I knew training was beneficial, but I wanted hear about results. In Ephesians 4:12-13, the purpose and result of training is clear. “For the training of the saints in the work of ministry, to build up the body of Christ, until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of God’s Son, growing into a mature man with a stature measured by Christ’s fullness.” This training is to reach unity with our brothers in Christ! I now know I am training to become a mature man who is united in the faith with the rest of the body!
The goal that has been set is to grow—for me to grow in unity of faith and knowledge, and in maturity measured by Christ fullness! Ephesians 4:16 says this, “From Him the whole body, fitted and knit together by every supporting ligament, promotes the growth of the body for building up itself in love by the proper working of each individual part.”
I am a part of the body of Christ. If I don’t train, I might hinder growth of the body. If every part is not working properly, growth is not promoted in the body! That is why Paul told us what training was for, so we could know what to expect to happen. With training comes unity, from that maturity, and as a lasting result comes growth!
“God I pray that my training will produce results of growth! That unity will become evident in the Faith!”
Jody Johnston is a student at Liberty University in Lynchburg, VA. With a fire in his heart that only God could’ve ignited, he is a servant and prayer warrior. He calls New Orleans, LA his home. You can contact him on facebook www.facebook.com/jodygjohnston.