The Right Attitude

The Right Attitude
I was reading my morning devotion today and I saw the parallel between your quiet time with God and Fitness...I had to share it with you. 

Here is the devotion: 

The Right Attitude for Your Quiet Time by Rick Warren 

“The LORD does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart.” (1 Samuel 16:7b NIV) 

You can have a quiet time anywhere, but it all starts with a great attitude. God wants to know that your heart is in the right place. The Bible says in 1 Samuel 16:7, “The LORD does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart” (1 Samuel 16:7, NIV).What is the right attitude to have during your quiet time?

1. Come with expectancy. Be eager to come before God’s presence. You’re meeting with God - the creator of the universe! You should expect to have a good time of fellowship with him and receive a blessing.

2. Come with reverence. You’re going to meet God, so don’t rush into his presence. Prepare your heart by being still before him. If you were going to meet with the president of the United States or the queen of England, you’d get there early. You'd look your best. How much more reverence should we have when we come into the presence of the creator of the universe?

3. Come with alertness. Get yourself wide-awake before you meet with God. Again, you’re meeting the creator of the universe. Don’t have your quiet time in bed. You’ll probably fall asleep. In fact, the best time to prepare for your quiet time is the night before. Go to bed 15 minutes earlier if you need to. Be in good shape when you meet with God. He deserves your full attention.

4. Come with the willingness to obey. Don’t start your quiet time with the idea that you’ll hear from God and then decide whether or not to obey. Instead, tell the Lord you’ve already decided you’re going to say “yes.” Have a good attitude before you start your quiet time, and you can expect a good result from your quiet time. Come before the Lord with the wrong attitude and it’ll be just the opposite.

Talk About It • What specific ways will you change the way you do your quiet time once you consider your attitude toward your time with God? • How do you think your attitude would change if you had a sense of expectation about what God is going to do in your heart during your quiet time and not if he will work in you?

Here is my view with relating this to Fitness and the health of your body:1.      Expectancy: Be eager to work out and take care of the body that God gave us.  Come expecting a great workout at Boot Camp! Also, since it is group fitness, you will have fellowship with friends who share the same beliefs and goals that health and fitness is a priority.

2.      Reverence: This one is a little hard to do a parallel because I am NOT going to compare myself with God.  But I can say if you have in your mind that you are meeting someone that cares about you and wants to help you achieve your goals, open up and let me help.  I want to offer you a kick-butt workout and I want to help you when you are not in boot camp.

3.      Alertness: Ok – I understand 5am is not the most alert time of the day – but with the right attitude and the excitement to work out it’s amazing how it will help you wake up.  If you wake up “wanting” to work out instead of “having” to work out – it helps your attitude and your willingness to wake up.  Go to bed early – prepare ahead of time with your clothes – pack your bag with your workout clothes! God deserves your full attention and you know I want your full attention for your workout.

4.      Willingness to Obey: “Don’t start your quiet time with the idea that you’ll hear from God and then decide whether or not to obey”.  Can I hear a “BAM!” That’s it – God’s Word is filled with guidance and I am constantly trying to motivate, teach, guide you to a healthier you.  Don’t just listen w/o applying or put it in your mind that you “can’t”.  You know I hate that word. 
Just like it says – have a good attitude before you start your quiet time, and you can expect a good result! I couldn’t agree more! If you come to work out with the right attitude – you WILL have a good workout – You WILL achieve your goals – you WILL be that healthy and fit person that I SEE!