That’s one of my favorite fitness sayings. It’s cute, and it’s true. I enjoy cardio in the form of a short run or a Zumba class with my favorite instructor. The hardcore, high-intensity stuff is usually out for me; which is one of the reasons I enjoy strength training so much. Don’t get me wrong, I sweat occasionally while in a yoga pose or when upping my reps or weights, but I am always amazed at the number of calories I can blow on arm or leg day.
The best thing about strength training: Muscle Burns Fat. Can I get an Amen!
People will often overlook strength training, going just for the major calorie burn of a high-intensity exercise. Those are important for overall health, but you’ll be out of balance without working on strengthening your muscles.
A similar look can be given to our lives as a whole. We will exert ourselves in a multitude of good activities, volunteering for this, hosting that, giving to this and attending that. These things may do great things for others, or even for us. But we can’t rely solely on those works to make us good people, to build us up or fulfill us in any way. We can’t just participate in high-value things, we have to also build our strength of character.
So how do we build strength of character? I believe the answer is in fruit – the fruit of the Spirit.
“But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. There is no law against these things!” – Galatians 5:22-23 (NLT)
Our Christian character is produced by the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is able to develop these traits in us when we spend time with God. This happens in Bible study, reading Scripture, worship, prayer and praise. The more time we spend, the more we become like Christ and exhibit these characteristics.
Over the next few weeks, we’re going to sink our teeth into these fruits, discovering the sweetness and health they bring to our lives.
First up…love and joy!