Weight & Words: Wanting it more than anything else

To my Readers;

One show I have always enjoyed watching is NBC’s “The Biggest Loser.” Since the show first aired in 2004, it has quickly become one the TV’s most loved shows. People all over America have found this show heart warming and inspiring. One thing I absolutely love about this show is these very different people’s incredible determination to beat their battle with obesity.

One particular cast member that I completely enjoyed was Season 9’s winner Michael Ventrella. Michael started the show as the Biggest Loser’s heaviest contestant, having a starting weight of 526 lbs. When asking how He felt, Michael said, “At 526 pounds, nobody at that weight can ever feel any sense of hope.” However, by the end of the show; Michael had lost 50.19%, weighing out at 262lbs. He had lost a grand total of 264 lbs. Michael broke every record the show had, including losing over 30 lbs in his first week on the show and being the quickest to lose 100lbs. When asked what got Michael through the show, he responded saying:

“I realized, ‘You know what? I’m going to give it everything I got to battle this and tackle this because I’m done with being like this."

I found this to be such a true statement. Essentially Michael won this battle because he wanted it more than anything else in the world. I know there are many times where I’ve allowed my relationship with God to suffer simply because I wasn’t giving it everything I had. When it comes to our faith, we must have the same determination Michael had.

In the scriptures there is a man named Joshua. He had lead the Israelites for a number a years and towards the end of his life he called all the Israelites together. It was here Joshua says the last thing recorded of him speaking to the nation of Israel. After reminding them of all the miracles God has already done for them, He says:

“So honor the Lord and serve him wholeheartedly. Put away forever the idols your ancestors worshiped when they lived beyond the Euphrates River and in Egypt. Serve the Lord alone. But if you are unwilling to serve the Lord, then choose today whom you will serve. Would you prefer the gods your ancestors served beyond the Euphrates? Or will it be the gods of the Amorites in whose land you now live? But as for me and my family, we will serve the Lord.” (Joshua 24:14-15, NLT)

He challenged the Israelites to choose whom they will worship. They wouldn’t be allowed to sit on the fence any longer. Once they had chosen, they were to do it wholeheartedly, no turning back. Like Michael Ventrella and his battle with obesity, they were choosing to serve God above anything else in the world. When we truly chose to follow God with everything we have are we actually beginning our journey. Going only half-hearted is no different than someone who is trying to half-heartedly lose weight: they will just end up back where they started if not worst off. If we choose the other things we desire over God, essentially we wont go anywhere spiritually.

So I challenge you: choose today who you will serve wholeheartedly. Will you choose to serve God above everything else in the world? And when you mess up, get back up and continue with your commitment, remembering a race isn’t run in a day, but all the days up until that day.

Simply,
Tex G.M. Rule

"I command you- be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid or discouraged. For the Lord your God is with you wherever you go." Joshua 1:9, NLT

P.S. Here is a before and after picture of Michael Ventrella:

Bookshelves & unread books

To my Readers,
Thursday’s can be a rather busy day for me. The pentacle of the day is our college/young adult ministry called two42 at 7 P.M. It is quite an amazing ministry based around Acts 2:42, “All the believers devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching, and to fellowship, and to sharing in meals (including the Lord’s Supper), and to prayer.” (NLT). Once my morning classes are finished, I travel across San Antonio to the north side where CBC is. Here, my awesome coworker Tori and I start setting things up for two42. On most days, Tori and I finish early enough to where she can then go get ready while I normally relax in Stuart’s office.

Stuart has quite a nice office His office doesn’t have the usual cramped and overflow of paperwork most pastors have. In fact, his office is quite simple. He has a small simple desk. Across the room sits two very comfortable chairs that are in front of open windows overlooking the parking lot. What is the point of describing Stuart’s office? Well the point is my favorite part of Stuart’s office: his bookshelf. You see, His bookshelf is about 7 feet high with two columns filled with books. Being the bookworm I am, I constantly look at it and observe the books Stuart has read (or owns). I have looked over this bookshelf many times over, and yet it amazes me every time I observe it, a different book pops out to me that hadn’t been there before. Its my favorite part of looking at Stuart’s bookshelf : finding something new that was there the whole time.

The interesting thing is how much the Bible is exactly like this. Hebrews 4:12, (NLT) puts it this way, “For the word of God is alive and powerful. It is sharper than the sharpest two-edged sword, cutting between soul and spirit, between joint and marrow. It exposes our innermost thoughts and desires.” As a Biblical Studies major, I read the Bible quite often. In fact, it is nearly always one of my textbooks in all of my courses. I say this NOT to toot my own horn, but to say that despite, how many times I have read through the scriptures, something always illuminates itself that I hadn’t noticed before.

I have recently read Ephesians 2:8, NLT saying, “God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God.” I very often have read this verse over the years, however it never spoke to me as powerful as it has now, especially the first part of the verse. Many times I’ve read, heard, or even quoted this verse but the Holy Spirit has given me a different or new illumination of the verse.

What I’ve learned is how no matter how much I think I know or study, I never have it mastered. I do not know it all. In fact, the more I’ve studied I’ve found the more there is that I do not know. How often do we think we have it all figured out? I cannot tell you how many times I’ve reread a passage and found myself asking, “Why didn’t I read this sooner? How did I not see this before?” So continue to read and find that God’s Word is alive and powerful. It is not just an old book that has nothing to teach us anymore. The more we study, the more will learn and see that there is so much more to learn. Continue to study, continue to search, continue.

Simply,
Tex g.m. Rule
“I once thought these things were valuable, but now I consider them worthless because of what Christ has done. Yes, everything else is worthless when compared with the infinite value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have discarded everything else, counting it all as garbage, so that I could gain Christ and become one with him. I no longer count on my own righteousness through obeying the law; rather, I become righteous through faith in Christ. For God’s way of making us right with himself depends on faith. I want to know Christ and experience the mighty power that raised him from the dead. I want to suffer with him, sharing in his death, so that one way or another I will experience the resurrection from the dead!” Philippians 3:7-11