God is the ultimate standard of consistency. Consistency is exemplified throughout both natural and special revelation. Creator and creation. Truth and love. Rebellion and fallenness. Law and knowledge of sin. Just and Justifier. Jesus as fully God and fully man. Love and sacrifice. Debt and debt-payer. The Gospel and the hearers of the Gospel. The hearers (physically) of the Gospel and those who profess and believe (who hear Spiritually). Receiving the good news and sharing it with others. The foreknown and the predestined. The predestined and the called. The called and the justified. The justified and the glorified (Romans 8:29-30). Green grass and rain. Crops and food. Wood and shelter. Food and drink, and a stomach to receive such things. Physical needs and Spiritual needs. This is a consistency that only God can ground and preserve. Even our conceptions of logic have to be consistent for you to even know what you are reading on this page. That’s the power of God. He is Lord over the universe, and He is Lord over every molecule in this universe. He is Lord over every visble thing and every invisible thing. In Him, we live and move, and have our being (Acts 17:28).
On the other hand, we are very inconsistent, aren’t we? As Paul brings up in the Book of Romans, “For the good that I will to do, I do not do; but the evil I will not to do, that I practice” (Romans 7:19). We tell someone what not to do, yet practice such things ourselves (Matthew 7:3-5). We get frustrated when people do not listen to us, yet are we quick to listen? What then? Should we give up hope? Certainly not. Furthermore, should we not bring up the inconsistencies in the life of another just because we deal with our own inconsistencies? Certainly not. There is a time and a manner for it. We need to be engaged with one another and speak the truth in love; unadulterated love. We are all on this mountain together; we need to help one another reach the top. In the midst of all of our own inconsistencies, we can rest assured that God is altogether consistent.
“IN THE MIDST OF ALL OF OUR OWN INCONSISTENCIES, WE CAN REST ASSURED THAT GOD IS ALTOGETHER CONSISTENT.”
I heard this from Pastor Paul Washer. Perhaps you can take snapshots of a Christain’s life and point out the times when they have failed; even failed miserably. However, what would the 24/7 video footage reveal? Repentance, living outwardly towards others, and loving God. A natural inclination to sin can be to take part in sin even more severely; to turn to sin as that source of safety and security in the midst of the guilt and shame from committing the initial sin. Yet, when a Christian stumbles or falls, what they need to do is turn to God in a spirit of repentance to ask forgiveness. Hopefully an analogy can help bring this home. A person can have a few pieces of candy from the bag and feel guilty for throwing off their consistent healthy eating. While the wisest thing to do would be to stop and leave it at that, many would grab for more sugar, figuring that they had already slipped. What’s a little more?
Since this is a blog that ties in both Faith and fitness, let me merge both realms; after all, God created both the Spiritual and the physical. What is more important? Having perfectly organized and timed workouts or having consistent workout sessions? Ideally, you could have both. Besides that, doing just the right amount of volume and having perfect reps within the span of one exercise session will not amount to much. Consistency is what matters. Such is the life of a Christian. There will be days where you mess up countless times, but are you any further away from God through that, if indeed you do know Christ? Certainly not. If that were the case, then the justified people of God would be in relationship with God in a manner of a yo-yo. Maybe God just caught Abraham on a good day; not so. Abraham believed God, and God accounted that to Him as righteousness (Romans 4:1-3). A yo-yo is not a reflection of the relationship between fallen man and The Sovereign Lord and it is not a reflection for what works when it comes to nutrition or exercise either.
In light of all of this, through all of the inconsistencies of life, trust the consistency of God. May the consistency of God encourage you to live more consistently towards Him and towards others (Matthew 22:35-40). Keep pressing on. If you are not yet a Believer, seek God (Acts 17:27). If you are a Believer, may you exemplify the power of the Gospel in every area of life, both through times of weeping and the times of rejoicing (Philippians 3:13-14). May you be consistent in taking care of yourself physically, spiritually, and in every way.
