I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. Phil 4:13

Cross training refers to an athlete training in sports other than the one in which he or she normally competes. The goal is to improve overall performance (e.g., a golfer who weight lifts, a tennis player who rides a bike and a boxer who jumps rope). Eliminating weaknesses and adding more effective preparation is the idea behind this process.

Surely, cross training holds many benefits for those who practice it. Athletes around the world have seen great improvements in performance as a result of intentionally stretching their bounds. Amazingly, there is another form of “Cross Training” that promises to improve performance at a far greater level. As followers of Christ, we believe the key to heaven and the key to a fulfilled life on earth hung on a Cross over 2000 years ago.

We discover in 1 Cor 6:19 that we are temples of His Holy Spirit; we are not our own, we have been bought with a price, and because we are His, we are to glorify Him in our personality and body. In Romans 12:2, He says we must escape conforming to this corrupted world system by being transformed in the renewing of our mind. In 1 Cor 10:31, His Word says, “Whatever we eat or drink or whatever we do, we are to do to His glory.” In 1 Thes 5:23, apostle Paul connects the divine dots further when he prays, “And may the God of peace sanctify you completely; and may your whole spirit, soul, and body be preserved blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.”

Some of us may have chosen to be athletes of particular sports. Let’s be encouraged to carefully examine our current training program to help make us perform at an even better level.

Family and friends, in reality, all of us are athletes in “playing life.” So with the new year of  2022 fast approaching, may we run from anything that is not God’s training agenda—the one that renews our mind and helps us to act righteously. May the great Apostle Paul’s primary focus and motivation to preach Christ, the cross, and Him crucified inspire us within to behave in a more holy fashion.

Dedicated belief, an attitude of gratefulness for what He’s done on our behalf, and a burning heart to invite others to join with us in His “Cross Training” is the true life flow and a great place for us to start this wonderful year ahead. .

1 Tim 4:8; Hebrews 13:5; Psalm 139:14; Phil 1:6