The Coffee Break

J&J Newsletter                                                                                                               March 6, 2017

Walk in Strength

by Christy Cundiff

 

“…being strengthened in all power according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience.” Col. 1:11

 

Well, I did it.  I finally joined a gym.  Lord knows this girl needed to a LONG time ago, but  I am a CHEAPSKATE!!!  I don’t like spending extra money if I don’t have to.  Excepts for when a new gym comes to town flaunting their low price of $10 a month. You have my attention.

 

I walked in, my sporty black leggings on and a big ol’ tshirt covering up my… well, my big ol’ backside… ready to go! Then I looked around and was immediately overwhelmed. There were so many machines. I had never seen half of them before in my life. I figured the treadmill would be the easiest to figure out, so I headed that way and then froze. Buttons. LOTS of buttons! Red buttons, yellow buttons, big buttons, small buttons. Which BUTTON was the one to get this party started? Well, no worries, I finally got it figured out and with my warm up walk knocked out, I was on to the next machine.

 

The elliptical! The name alone conjures up images of a slimy sea creature with tentacles and suction cups, and a big, black eye with a death glare, staring straight into your soul. As its name implies, the machine matched the description tentacle for tentacle. Oh, my goodness! It kicked my tail BAD. I could only manage three minutes on that torture devise. Even so, I must say that I felt like I was a better woman for the effort.

 

So, with day one, “arm day,” accomplished without incident, I was ready for day two... or so I thought.  Day two brought on those two dreaded words "LEG DAY". Leg day proved to be a lesson in true endurance. It was everything I had heard it would be. It was grueling! I sweated. I grunted. I crawled out of the gym sore, but exhilarated! Once again, what a struggle, but Oh, what a feeling!!

 

By now, I’m sure you’re wondering why I'm going on and on about my new gym membership. Patience now. I'm getting there. You see, the day following my leg day, I realized how much stronger my legs were already feeling. Just walking down the hall, each step felt like it had more purpose, more control. I was walking in a new strength! And THAT'S what got me thinking about things like….

 

  • How, we as Christians, can walk in a new strength everyday, in the Lord, if we just put  forth some effort.

 

  • How our Bibles are like a spiritual gym. Each book in the Bible, a new and unusual piece of equipment to train and strengthen each section of our faith.

 

  • How trials are our endurance training. Each new trial will have an added weight to it. When you’ve mastered the strain of one trial, it’s on to the next, to exercise yet another truth from God’s gym… His Word.

 

I know I may be stretching it just a bit (did you see what I just did there 😉) but in his Word, God speaks about endurance often.

 

In the Bible, James, Jesus’ own stepbrother, says, “Hey guys, you need to get excited about when you go through trials, because those trials are going to bring on spiritual muscles. Those trials are going to make your strength training complete.” Oh wait. That’s what the NCT version says, the New Christy Translation version. The KJV says it this way….

 

“My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into divers temptations; knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience. But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing.”

James 1:2-4

 

Spiritual muscles. You may be wondering what spiritual muscles looks like? Well, they look like the fruit of the spirit. They look like love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faith, gentleness, self-control. Just as body builders check out their muscles in a mirror, we should be checking out our spiritual muscles through the mirror of God's word.  How does our love measure up?  Our joy? Our peace, and on and on.  If you see those muscles lacking, it's time to get back into the "gym."

 

Even Paul uses sport analogies in track and fisticuffs (boxing, I just like saying fisticuffs) as examples of strength training and endurance. ”Don’t you know that the runners in a stadium all race, but only one receives the prize? Run in such a way to win the prize. Now everyone who competes, exercises self-control in everything. However, they do it to receive a crown that will fade away, but we a crown that will never fade away. Therefore I do not run like one who runs aimlessly or box like one beating the air. Instead, I discipline my body and bring it under strict control, so that after preaching to others, I myself will not be disqualified. 1 Cor. 9:24-27 HCSB

 

In other words, athletes running in a race must train and train hard!! They train for the strength and endurance to be able to run as fast and as hard as they possible can, so they can win the prize. As a boxer, fighting with all his might to win the title. We too, are in a fight. A mighty fight of good versus evil. Between our will and His will, between the temptations of Satan and the truths of God. How will we ever win a battle, a match, a prize if we never put the time in at “the gym”, God’s Word. How can you expect to withstand the endurance training, the trials of life, if you never allow God to work your faith?

 

“A faith that can’t be tested, can't be trusted.” -Adrian Rogers

 

So I encourage you today, to invest in your own spiritual training. Paul tells us to work out our own salvation (Phil 2:12) So go. WORK OUT!!

 

 

 

The minute you forget that you are a soldier in a war, a fighter in the ring, a runner in the great race, is the minute you’ll lose the battle, the match, a prize.

Have you read a devotion lately that really ministered to your spirit or has God laid a thought on your heart that you'd like to share in devotional form, then please click the link below for submission.

Submit Devotion

Secret Sister Reminder!  If you decided to draw a secret sister, please be sure to be in contact with them frequently.  If you're not in complete understanding how it works, here are some guidelines.

 

  • First and the most important purpose of Secret Sis is to pray for them.
  • And secondly, be sure to send a gift on their birthday, anniversary and holidays.

 

It's really not that hard, but sadly we do have sisters that never hear from their SS. So if you haven't yet made contact, please do so soon.  If you've lost their info, we can always get it for you, just let Ashley or Christy know.                                                       THANKS!!!

Please be praying about...

Please be much in prayer for our Java sister, Jennifer Clay and her family.  Their sweet Aubrey's birthday is coming up this Sunday.  They're going to need our prayers and God's strength.

 

Be praying for our next meeting, that God will show up in full power and that He will bring exactly who He wants to add to our little group.

 

Remember our pastor and all of our church leaders!

Our next Java and Jesus meeting! It's finally here! Christy Cundiff will be leading a discussion about run away emotions as she does a reading from the book Holy Estrogen! by Carol Mcleod and gives a short testimony about her struggle with dealing with those pesky runaway emotions.

"Click" for Prayer Request

Java and Jesus' Coffee House

Sunday, March 26th @ 8:45-9:45 am

(All food and volunteers will need to be there by 8:30am.)

 

So far so good!!  Thank you to those who have signed up to bring supplies, to bake and/or to serve.  We'll need all items in the fellowship hall by 8:30 on the 26th.  You can bring nonpershiable items to our next meeting, if that will make it easier on you.

 

The sign up sheets are still at the welcome table and will be at our meeting on Friday.

 

See Christy if you have any questions.

Java and Jesus T-shirts...

Our first batch is ordered and we can't wait for them to get here.   We're already taking orders for the next batch.

 

The cost is $18 for sizes S-XL and $20 for 2x and 3x.

 

Sign up sheet is on the Welcome Table.

 

For any questions, please see Ashley.

March's Teams...

Group Leader: Christy Cundiff

Prayer Team: Ashley, Christy

Outreach: Cindy, Connie, Destiny

Food Team 2:  Beth, Debbie, Misti, Shelia

 

There are plenty of opportunities for the Java Gals to pitch in and help.                      

 

Volunteer today!

A ministry of Victory Baptist Church . 15 Hendrix Road, Cedartown, GA

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