I'm Weak. He's Strong.

"For by grace you have been saved and that not of yourselves, it is a gift of God, not of works, lest any man should boast." --Ephesians 2:8-9

Read: Ephesians 2 It just never seems to end, does it? This pursuit of health. It's another day in the gym, looking at that same row of dumbbells. Or maybe it's walking another lap around the familiar track with the expected turns. Either way, picking up the weight or the pace are the keys to change, improvement or even maintenance. More...again. Again, some more. Besides, you're only as good as your last workout, so you huff and puff...(rough). Folks, aren't we glad Heaven doesn't require the same?

Truly, if our ability was required for Heaven, we'd be in bad shape. Let's face it, we're just not strong enough, fast enough, good enough. Fortunately, Jesus lifted our heaviest burden and walked the steepest hill. We can stop fighting a fight He's already won. In fact, the next time you're struggling to lift yesterday's weight with a body designed to weaken, or you're trying to keep your previous pace with steadily slowing legs, take a second and smile. Just grin and shake your head. Let it remind you of just how small and weak you are, and just how big and able He is. I admit, whenever I do that, I seem to be a little stronger and a little bit faster. I don't know. Maybe it's because I realize He's put me in charge of something that requires my effort.

--Jimmy Peña

NUTRITION: HIDDEN HOLIDAY DANGERS

If you've hit the malls recently, then you know...nutritional indulgence isn't that difficult to find. Click here to read our list of easy tips that you can build into your Christmas shopping plans in order to keep yourself in the best shape possible heading into 2013.

>> READ: Holiday Nutrition Do's and Don'ts

>> STOCKING STUFFERS: In case you missed it, PrayFit unveiled a new online store earlier this month, replete with stylish new apparel, DVDs and more. Give it a gander and round out your gifts shopping with a few clicks of the mouse today! Plant your first click here: PRAYFIT ONLINE STORE

With Honors

"For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God." -- Ephesians 2:8

Read: Ephesians 2

I'm not the first writer to see heaven in a graduation and I definitely won't be the last. But sitting in the bleachers this weekend, waiting for the love of my life to stroll across that stage, I just couldn't help it. As the band played a few sour notes and the crowd fanned their glistening brows, the keynote speaker talked about all the reasons the graduates deserved the stage. The homework, the term papers, the finals. All tough, all taken, all passed. Tired and weary, all that was left to do was receive their prize.

At first it seems like a simple analogy. You did the work, you get the reward. But if Heaven were based on our ability to pass every test, there would be no thrilling cheers, no tossing tassels, no celebration. When Loretta fulfilled her course requirements last semester, she couldn't wait for the big day to arrive. Jesus fulfilled our course requirement when He walked the hill of Calvary and paid our sin debt. Now, we don't know when the day will come, but by His grace through faith alone, you and I will someday walk across the stage and receive a prize we didn't earn. With all the rights and privileges pertaining thereto -- tired and weary -- we'll graduate with honors...His.

P.S. As she promised, Loretta tried to walk slowly across the stage to soak it all in. She wanted it to last forever. Yeah, somehow I think God loves a good graduation. "Just wait," I bet He's saying. "Just wait."

--Jimmy Peña

WORKOUT OF THE WEEK: PUSH-UPS Double your total on this foundation exercise in just a week

There's a reason that push-ups are included in fitness tests the world over: they work. Forcing your chest, shoulders and triceps to work in concert helps develop tremendous pushing strength, which translates over to a number of functions covering everything up to and including hand-to-hand combat (a handy skill for today's homeland defenders).

No matter how many push-ups you can complete, no matter your skill level, you can improve on that total drastically in a week's time by using this simple but effective workout. Try the following low-volume workout, each day, and track your progress online in your own PrayFit Workout Journal. Not yet a member? Click here to register.

>> Click here to learn how to increase your push-up max!

A WALK IN THE PARK

September 23, 2010Read: Ephesians 6

“Finally, be strong in the Lord and in His mighty power.” –Ephesians 6:10

On a recent walk, I stopped at a nearby park where I noticed a group of kids huddled around a coach. He was giving a pep talk. I loved it. Squatting down to meet them eye-to-eye, he said things like, “Let’s be aggressive. Help each other out and work hard!” Parents formed a semicircle around the group, and when the team broke the huddle, I realized it was a karate class; self defense for the little guys.

Interestingly, the coach put one student in the middle and then sent one, two, then three other students in to fight him. “The key,” the instructor yelled to the one in the middle, “is to keep the opponent in front of you at all times!” Before the drill was over, it was 4-on-1. The whistle blew, the parents applauded, and the kids rotated positions.

Heading home, it dawned on me that the coach had it right. He said to keep everything in front of you, because that’s where your opponent is. A buddy of mine, Jimmy Page from FCA (Fellowship of Christian Athletes), taught me that God gives us armor, such as the breastplate, the shield and the sword that are all frontal weapons. He doesn’t give us anything to protect our back. Why? Because the battle is in front of us. We’re not surprised by the enemy, nor does he sneak up and attack us from behind.

So I suppose, in a way, our temptations and struggles can be thought of as compliments; God won’t allow us to be tested beyond what He knows we can endure. When God became a man, He lowered Himself to see us eye-to-eye and gave us a self-defense class of our own. With Him, we can conquer anything that lies ahead, especially since we know He’s always got our backs.

–J.P.

OKAY TO SPLURGE

Contrary to popular belief, being super strict 100 percent of the time is not the only way to reach your physique goals. If you're feeling like you need to splurge a bit on your diet, that's fine -- just get better at picking your moment. One great time to splurge is right after a tough workout.

Many people will tell you that if you eat bad right after a workout, you've ruined all of your hard work. But nothing could be further from the truth. The best time to eat bad is right after a vigourous workout. Research shows that you are much less likely to store food (bad or good) as fat and much more likely to metabolize it for energy following a workout. So the next time you want to go nuts and splurge, hit the gym first -- just hit it hard!