The Wages of Sin is Spinning

4. January 2008 by David Alexander.

I started spinning this morning. Let me define “spinning class” for you. It is the voluntary subjection of oneself to an amazonian trainer who leads you to do things for and hour on a stationary bicycle that I didn’t know either could or should be done. The motivation was a mixture of Christmas vacation gluttony and just a desire to cycle in the winter. I am still not sure what caused me to suffer more, my legs or having to get up at 4.30 this morning. The best part of the morning was the hot tub at 6.10am.

When I first read “take up your cross and follow me”, I did not see the whole scope of this verse as it relates to holistic discipleship. To love God with body(strength), soul, and mind is not an easy task.

Take the body for instance - I have the metabolism of a hippo, which I probably inherited from my native american grandmother, on a bone structure of a t-rex, which was inherited from my european great ancestry. Just yesterday someone told me that I carry my weight well. What they mean is that I am so tall, that the fat has more places to hide than those who are vertically challenged. So, if I am to love God with my body, either I need to be content to give God a WHOLE LOT OF LOVE, or spend quality time exercising and sacrificing hot juicy hamburgers for house salads with the dressing on the side. It doesn’t help that God has called me into a vocation as a desk jockey. So, this morning, there I was spinning at 5.15am.

Soul - this is the part that I don’t struggle with although one has to focus to keep it in balance. I am all about doing. But loving God with my soul is NOT just doing, its all about missional activity. On one extreme its about James 1.22 - being a doer of the Word, yet on the other extreme its has to do with 2 Timothy 2.2 - entrusting into others. So, with intentionality, I place myself in mentoring situations, as mentoree from some and mentor to others, as well as being engaged in the Missio - Dei (Mission of God). Loving God with my soul has become the joy of my life, and I have found it to be challenging, yet fun and fulfilling. Challenging is finding time to do it.

 Mind - this is where I have always struggled, not for lack of wanting, but for the time it takes to sit and be still and quiet. Studying to show myself approved unto God (2 Timothy 2.15) and being still (Psalm 46.10) are things that I desire to do, but find it very challenging to find time to do. So, this is also a cross for me. Daily, although it is coming easier now than before, I have to set aside time to be with my Father, to learn and to listen. Psalm 5.3 - In the morning, will I present my prayer unto Thee and will look up, is not quite yet a natural thing for me to do. Forcing myself to take up journaling has been a major help. So I press on.

I still struggle with being overcome by soul and body loving more than mind loving. But as Audio Adrenaline so well puts it - “…I get down, but He picks me up, I get down”. Surely that wages of sin is death (to body, soul, and mind) but the gift of God is eternal life (and that more abundantly) through Christ Jesus my Lord.

Get Down with God, and He will carry You and Lift You Up to where you have never been before.

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