What'cha Gonna Do?!
Ah, Hulk Hogan...probably one of my favorite entertainmaint figures of all time (sad, I know). My fiance and I love watching Hogan Knows Best on VH-1; it cracks me up...so I decided to look up his entry on Wikipedia, which was interesting. I used to be a big wrestling fan growing up - yes, I knew it was fake - and Hulk Hogan was ALWAYS my favorite. I haven't watched wrestling in a few years now because it's gotten classless and perverted, but the good ol' days were awesome, and the Hulkster was always at the forefront.
Ok, so why am I blabbering about Hulk Hogan? Well looking up his Wikipedia entry reminded me about this talk I gave at Campus Crusade once based on Hulk Hogan's "demandments," and half the people there looked at me like I was completely bonkers. Come on, all you Hulkamaniacs remember them: training, saying your prayers, and taking your vitamins. How does all this come together, then? Well these demandments are a very simplistic way of outlining what we should be doing as Christians. Ok, now before some of you are ready to drag me out and stone me, hear me out and let me break things down:
1) Training: Christianity isn't a sprint, it's a marathon...up a big mountain. It's a tough journey, but it's well worth it...and practice makes perfect. 1 Corinthians 9:24-27 says, "Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last; but we do it to get a crown that will last forever. Therefore I do not run like a man running aimlessly; I do not fight like a man beating the air. No, I beat my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize." You simply can't wake up one morning prepared to run a marathon, bench press 350 pounds, or win a Judo tournament...you need to train, to practice, to ready yourself for the task at hand. As Christians we have to constantly keep in mind the need to prepare ourselves daily to deal with the issues of life and the attacks of the enemy. We need to put on the full armor of God daily (Ephesians 6:13-18)! In order to properly train we need to go to church to hear the Word, live the Word, have friends who share the same faith so you can talk with them, and follow the next two "demandments"...
2) Say Your Prayers: This one is pretty self-explanatory, no? Yet it's amazing how hard it is to keep this one, myself included. We get so caught up in our daily lives that we forget to put aside some time and talk with God. Look at that little phrase right there: "Talk with God"...He created EVERYTHING...and yet we can talk with him! Whoa. And still, we don't do it...how stupid are we, huh? 1 Thessalonians 5:17 says, "pray without ceasing"...three simple words, yet three profound words. But in order to pray without ceasing, we have to start somewhere, right? I really doubt God sits up there and keeps track of how long you pray or how eloquently you pray...rather, I think He weighs the heart behind those prayers. So take time to talk to God daily, you'll be surprised how things change.
3) Take your vitamins: A couple months back I started taking a multivitamin daily and the effects were great...I noticed I was more focused and attentive and overall more healthy. What I'm trying to say here is that we need nourishment in our spiritual lives, and that comes from reading the Word! Hebrews 5:12-14 says, "In fact, though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you the elementary truths of God's word all over again. You need milk, not solid food! Anyone who lives on milk, being still an infant, is not acquainted with the teaching about righteousness. But solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil. " No one's a theologian once they're saved...that stuff takes time...but we should also take time daily to read the Word, remember it, study it, and apply it to our lives. Sometimes you have to start small, read a little bit and meditate on it before moving up.
So I'm sure people reading this by now think I'm a total dork or just plain crazy...or both. Or you may say that these 3 points are super-simple and you've heard them a bunch of times. We all have! Still, you need to learn to crawl before you walk, and walk before you run. A lot of times we get caught up in everything else and forget about the basics of our faith...so take the time to think over these things and maybe recommit yourselves to these things: they'll allow you to run the race more effectively!
Ok, so why am I blabbering about Hulk Hogan? Well looking up his Wikipedia entry reminded me about this talk I gave at Campus Crusade once based on Hulk Hogan's "demandments," and half the people there looked at me like I was completely bonkers. Come on, all you Hulkamaniacs remember them: training, saying your prayers, and taking your vitamins. How does all this come together, then? Well these demandments are a very simplistic way of outlining what we should be doing as Christians. Ok, now before some of you are ready to drag me out and stone me, hear me out and let me break things down:
1) Training: Christianity isn't a sprint, it's a marathon...up a big mountain. It's a tough journey, but it's well worth it...and practice makes perfect. 1 Corinthians 9:24-27 says, "Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last; but we do it to get a crown that will last forever. Therefore I do not run like a man running aimlessly; I do not fight like a man beating the air. No, I beat my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize." You simply can't wake up one morning prepared to run a marathon, bench press 350 pounds, or win a Judo tournament...you need to train, to practice, to ready yourself for the task at hand. As Christians we have to constantly keep in mind the need to prepare ourselves daily to deal with the issues of life and the attacks of the enemy. We need to put on the full armor of God daily (Ephesians 6:13-18)! In order to properly train we need to go to church to hear the Word, live the Word, have friends who share the same faith so you can talk with them, and follow the next two "demandments"...
2) Say Your Prayers: This one is pretty self-explanatory, no? Yet it's amazing how hard it is to keep this one, myself included. We get so caught up in our daily lives that we forget to put aside some time and talk with God. Look at that little phrase right there: "Talk with God"...He created EVERYTHING...and yet we can talk with him! Whoa. And still, we don't do it...how stupid are we, huh? 1 Thessalonians 5:17 says, "pray without ceasing"...three simple words, yet three profound words. But in order to pray without ceasing, we have to start somewhere, right? I really doubt God sits up there and keeps track of how long you pray or how eloquently you pray...rather, I think He weighs the heart behind those prayers. So take time to talk to God daily, you'll be surprised how things change.
3) Take your vitamins: A couple months back I started taking a multivitamin daily and the effects were great...I noticed I was more focused and attentive and overall more healthy. What I'm trying to say here is that we need nourishment in our spiritual lives, and that comes from reading the Word! Hebrews 5:12-14 says, "In fact, though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you the elementary truths of God's word all over again. You need milk, not solid food! Anyone who lives on milk, being still an infant, is not acquainted with the teaching about righteousness. But solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil. " No one's a theologian once they're saved...that stuff takes time...but we should also take time daily to read the Word, remember it, study it, and apply it to our lives. Sometimes you have to start small, read a little bit and meditate on it before moving up.
So I'm sure people reading this by now think I'm a total dork or just plain crazy...or both. Or you may say that these 3 points are super-simple and you've heard them a bunch of times. We all have! Still, you need to learn to crawl before you walk, and walk before you run. A lot of times we get caught up in everything else and forget about the basics of our faith...so take the time to think over these things and maybe recommit yourselves to these things: they'll allow you to run the race more effectively!
Labels: Christianity, faith, Hulk Hogan, prayer
posted by Chris Perez @ 10:07 AM
1 Comments:
What'cha gonna do when the Hulkster comes to Revival looking for you!?!
Post a Comment
<< Home