An Exercise in Christianity

I’ll start by admitting the extent of my personal exercise has been fairly limited to an extensive amount of walking up and down the stairs at my apartment each day. My computer-based recording facility and office is upstairs and the coffee pot - with seemingly some one thing or another invariably turning out to be down. (There’s a middle landing on the staircase that I’ve come to refer to as the “stupid step.” Its place where I remember that thing that I should have brought with me and have to turn around go back and get it. Have you seen one of these?) Oh yeah, my point…well apart from my actual exercising regime rarely involving much more than this it has been known to comprise a good deal of jumping to conclusions and flip-flopping on issues.

So, these words from the Apostle Paul to Timothy, in 1 Timothy 4:8, came to mind recently, “For physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come.” Naturally, this got me to thinking about how my personal exercising habits haven’t changed much…beyond planning for less of each. Even though I continue in my ritualistic stair mastering, conclusion jumping and issue flopping, it’s all in the course of a day’s activity for an executive producer of a listener supported internet radio show.

Upon further contemplating what Paul is telling Timothy, though, I’ve lazily arrived at the conclusion that all this flip-flopping and mind-changing is fully in keeping with what the Christian faith comprises. Another influential passage was also written by Paul in 2 Corinthians chapter 5 beginning at verse 13,

“If it seems we are crazy, it is to bring glory to God. And if we are in our right minds, it is for your benefit. Either way, Christ’s love controls us. Since we believe that Christ died for all, we also believe that we have all died to our old life. He died for everyone so that those who receive his new life will no longer live for themselves. Instead, they will live for Christ, who died and was raised for them.

So we have stopped evaluating others from a human point of view. At one time we thought of Christ merely from a human point of view. How differently we know him now! This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!

And all of this is a gift from God, who brought us back to himself through Christ. And God has given us this task of reconciling people to him.”

It’s probably this propensity of jumping too quickly to conclusions that results in the ultimate flip-flopping later on. You see, I’ve been through those “mind-altering” phases of skepticism towards God, Christ, and the Bible to becoming fully confident in their overall honesty and truth. I now choose to believe that what I read in the Bible is in no way intended to lead me astray but rather set me on a right path. What I used to merely value as wise and insightful teachings are now, for me, a “lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path,” i.e. the very words of God.

Additionally, I’ve flip-flopped on a good many other things as well. I used to think that the noble attitude was to allow for free-choice in the issue of abortion. Now I have become an adamant pro-lifer. After long pursuing writing, acting, directing and broadcasting as a career I’ve become convicted that many of the activities I was obligated or required to do in the course of “career-building” and/or "money-making" was compromising my professed allegiance to Christ. I along the way even switched from thinking I was a Democrat to realizing I was more inclined toward the Republican Party platform, even though, I won’t deny a biblically-influenced approach to any political decision making.

Apart from explaining what’s happened…the key is that something continues happening to change my ways of thinking. Once again, Paul begins his 12th chapter of the letter to the Romans by writing, “And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice—the kind he will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship him. Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.”

I’m presently coming to a place in my life where it’s occurring to me that mere flipping on conclusion jumping still isn’t fulfilling my Christian-esque obligations. See, if I’m adamant that people shouldn’t kill unwanted babies…then I better, in kind, become pro-adoption. Certainly in following Christ’s examples I must be willing to take on someone else’s burdens and James wrote, “Pure and genuine religion in the sight of God the Father means caring for orphans and widows in their distress and refusing to let the world corrupt you.” Essentially, I get the impression that we are to care for those who are not able to care for themselves.

So when I catch myself bad-mouthing today’s media or our political leaders it isn’t enough to draw the conclusion that I won’t participate or support the evil they propagate. Sure, it’s one thing not to frequent movies, or even stop watching television, but are we looking for ways to support, encourage, and participate with those who are honestly seeking to provide alternative program options for those who don’t hold these views…like a hmmm, I don’t know, an ActofGraceRadio.net, maybe? Equally, we are not making anything better if we just stop voting for politicians because it only seems to encourage they’re bad behavior. No, I really think we have to continue being diligent and prudent in not just making the best choices available on the ballot but helping to enable those who have the gifts, talents, passion, and purposefulness to bring about Christ-likened changes to the political arena.
Far more than Paul’s mention to Timothy that physical training’s value is limited, he refocuses the reader’s thoughts on the true issue at hand. This is that “godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come.”

I know there are still plenty of conclusions that I’ve jumped to over the course of my life that may still need reevaluation and perhaps an opinion flip-flop or three. But, I’ve got to have the courage to openly look at them, the fortitude to change what’s wrong, and the integrity and conviction to implement the appropriate actions. I invite you to comment right now, or maybe come back for another visit sometime and see how I’m doing.

Ever yours regardlessly,

mike