Personal Trainers
If we have someone greater beside us they can push us to a whole other level.
Reference: v.29 Nevertheless, each national group made its own gods in the several towns where they settled, and set them up in the shrines the people of Samaria had made at the high places. (TNIV Bible)
Explore: A number of my friends are under the training regime of a personal trainer. With the aim of losing weight and becoming fitter they have hired a professional to assist them on their journey. Now, it’s not rocket science in how they do this, for surely reducing food intake while increasing physical activity is always the equation. However I know from personal experience that it is quite challenging to achieve great results on your own. A personal trainer helps people to stay focused, provides accountability and assists in pushing them further than they thought they could go. When we aim to achieve these results on our own then we can easily change the rules or make exceptions – “Oh, you’ve worked so hard today, a Mars bar should be fine.” But if we have someone greater beside us they can push us to a whole other level.
Application: When foreign people came to live in Samaria the king sent a prophet of God to instruct them how to live. While they took this into consideration they also made gods of their own. I really struggle to understand how someone can create a god and think that it is more powerful than themselves. Surely the created is not as good as the creator. I see God a little like a personal trainer. He is the expert on life and He helps to extend me to be a better person. If I was relying on something I had created to hold me accountable then I’m the one in control and I would just keep changing the rules… and adding Mars bars!
Prayer: Lord, thank you for being a great and mighty creator. You are all powerful and all knowing and you love us and desire for us to be better people. May we be open to growing and extending ourselves under Your instruction. Amen.
In what area do you need God to assist you to grow?
This article was written by Linda Bailey
Linda started theological studies in 1999 in Australia. After working for ten years in various church ministries, she now works as the breakfast producer at 89.9 LightFM - the Christian radio station in Melbourne, Australia. She writes blogs every day about passages she is currently reading in the Bible. Follow her on Google Plus +Linda Bailey or Facebook by clicking the like button on the right of this page.