[moldbreakers]

Gains, bruh.

Recently, I’ve been working out (maybe you can tell – if so, feel free to tell me) but I learned from a trainer friend of mine that it’s not just about exercise. Most of the radical body-change that weightlifters and other gym-type people experience comes from eating cleaner and making dietary changes. Apparently the old adage goes something like, “Abs are made in the kitchen, not the gym.” So, I’ve been trying to watch what I eat (instead of just eating it all).

It’s not easy!!! Ever been on a diet? It’s the worst.

Everything that actually tastes good, I cannot eat; which just makes me want to eat it more. I mean, what’s a burrito without cheese? What’s a sandwich without mayonnaise? What’s fried chicken without the fried part?
What’s dinner without DESSERT??? C’mon, man.

I really want the benefits that healthy eating will have on my life. But I also really want that delicious taste that simple sugars, high amounts of sodium and saturated fat add to my food.

I literally want to have my cake and eat it, too.

Just like my relationship with God.

Let me explain. I really want to be closer to God. I desire nothing in this world more than a close relationship with Jesus Christ. I know that it’s the most important thing I can have. It should be the only thing that would ever satisfy me because I know that it’s not only good in the moment but it’s good for all eternity. I really want the benefits of wise and purposeful living and growth in my maturity.

Buttttttt…. then I glance over at that HoneyBaked Ham and (man!) does it look delicious! The old way is so tempting. See, I also want to be comfortable. The unhealthy stuff is so easy… and enticing.

Thoughts in my head like:

“That lustful glance sure is tempting.”
“That little white lie won’t hurt anyone.”
“If I go out with the boys to Nashville and have a couple drinks, what’s the worst that could happen?”
“Yeah, I can go over there. It won’t be like last time.”

Just a little bite, right? But a little bite usually turns into a little bit more. And more. And more.

It’s just like the gym! You have one cheat day and you think you can reverse the damage by pushing just a bit harder during the next workout. In my spiritual life, I think if I try harder, I can claw my way to God while also holding onto the things He wants to separate from me. I think I can play with a little sin as long as I read my bible every morning. I think I can ignore the disobedience deep in my heart as long as I witness to my neighbor when he’s cutting his lawn. I want to do things my way and ALSO be an example for Christ.

But it doesn’t work that way.

Sticking to the diet means sticking to the diet. Even when you don’t think you can see the damage that disobedience brings, it’s there.

That’s really the long and short of being a follower of Christ, isn’t it? Will we give up what we want and make Jesus our sole desire? Or will we fight to balance our own dreams and wants with what God has for us and ultimately rubbish the inexplicable glory that awaits us? Will we waste the exercise by not sticking to the diet?

The Bible says this:

“No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money.”

Or that girl you’re dating without physical and emotional boundaries (Ouch!). Insert whatever it is for you. You get the point. You can’t serve God and anything else. Such as: popularity.

Alcohol.

Success.

Pride. Pleasure. Pornography.

We can’t have it both ways. And at the end of the day, those distractions that taste good in the moment are deadly poison to our souls. Sin is just offering a perverted version of something we already have in Christ. Jesus is trying to give you that good protein! Don’t attempt to get full on Twinkies. It’ll leave you totally unsatisfied, malnourished and sick.

When we stick to God’s nutrition plan (that is, the Word of God) and follow that no matter what and when we exercise our faith and live it out day-by-day, we will experience radical change that can only come as a result of the Gospel. We will be who we are supposed to be. It starts with choosing what God wants, not what we want. And then we share it with other. The news of Jesus Christ is the transformational agent that God wants to use in your life – and when God works, only one thing will be a result:

Gains, bruh.