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"Train yourself to be godly. 'Physical training is good, but training for godliness is much better, promising benefits in this life and in the life to come.'"
(1 Timothy 4:7b-8, NLT)
Recently, my wife, Kyndall, and I joined a gym! Yay! But also ouch… and when I say "ouch", I mean "fall on the ground and contemplate why you willingly put yourself through an hour of torture" ouch! With this new gym membership and it's workouts, there were some movements and lifts that Kyndall and I were not very familiar with. To get familiar with these movements and lifts, we decided to do a class called "Elements".
The class was beneficial, educational, and informative. We got one-on-one training with a coach who walked us step-by-step through all of the different and difficult movements we would be doing at the gym. After completing the four classes of the Elements program, Kyndall and I were confident and excited to fully jump into this new gym.
As I was contemplating and praying about what I wanted to write about this week, I thought back to the Elements course and pondered to myself: What are the "Elements" (the basics) of the Christian faith? What are the fundamental building blocks that we as followers of Jesus Christ must never forget about or take for granted? This week, we are going to discuss four basics of the Christian faith that we must constantly be paying attention to and building upon.
Now, this is not going to be an exhaustive list of "the basics" of Christianity. What I want to examine this week are these four: Salvation, Evangelism, Prayer, and Community.
Paul wrote to Timothy in the verses above that he should be training for godliness. The basics of physical training and exercise help us get stronger and more confident in whatever exercise we are doing. One especially cannot forget the basics if he or she wants to compete and do well in a sport. In the Christian faith, it is no different. When we are constantly strengthening, working, and improving on the "basics" of the Christian faith, there will be "benefits in this life and in the life to come".
I want to challenge you this week to journal your thoughts. Each day this week, we will look at a "basic" of the Christian faith, and there will be a challenge for you to write down, contemplate, and pray about throughout the day.
Right now, go grab a journal, write down today's date, and write down our four basics: Salvation, Evangelism, Prayer, and Community. Then jot down a thought, a verse, or a prayer for each word that you just wrote.
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