Acts 24:16 And herein do I exercise myself, to have always a conscience void of offence toward God, and [toward] men.
1 Timothy 4:7 But refuse profane and old wives’ fables, and exercise thyself [rather] unto godliness.
2 Peter 2:14 Having eyes full of adultery, and that cannot cease from sin; beguiling unstable souls: an heart they have exercised with covetous practices; cursed children.
The passages before us this morning speak of exercise. Exercise is a word that describes the kind of intense training that athlete put themselves through in order to achieve a goal. It is intentional, deliberate, sacrificial, and all for the sake of that goal or prize. In the spiritual realm, there are two gymnasiums that mankind can be members of: the gymnasium of the kingdom of the world, and the gymnasium of the Spirit of God. One gym produces a person who is self centered; the other gym produces a person who is God centered. One is profane; the other is pure. One is covetous and greedy; the other is generous and giving. One is ungodly; the other is godly.
When a person is born again, they begin to grow in the graces of godly exercise. “But strong meat belongeth to them that are of full age, even those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil.” (Hebrews 5:14) A member of God’s Gym (not Gold’s Gym) will be an individual who discerns what is good and what is evil. They will have an ever increasing “Spirit-instinct” that is the result of working out their salvation with fear and trembling. The treadmills and barbells in God’s gym produce the fruit of The Spirit, a passion for Jesus Christ, and a hunger and thirst for godliness. God’s gym kills the self-centered flesh and the broken image of this fallen world. The mirrors in God’s gym reflect a person who is being conformed into the image of Jesus Christ.
Which gym are you in, reader?
