Our local high school has one of the best wrestling programs around and one of their coaches used to be a trainer in my gym so we would often have the whole wrestling team training in our gym. This last weekend a few of those kids were wrestling in the NCAA Championships so I spent some time watching wrestling over the weekend. While I was watching a few of the matches the commentators kept talking about one wrestler trying to get his opponent out of position. Part of our walk with God is being a good wrestler and maintaining our position in Christ.
When I woke up yesterday morning my bookmark just happened to be on Genesis 32 where Jacob wrestles with God and a few other scriptures about wrestling also came to mind. Here are some of the scriptures.
Wrestling With God - Genesis 32:22-32
22 That night Jacob got up and took his two wives, his two female servants and his eleven sons and crossed the ford of the Jabbok. 23 After he had sent them across the stream, he sent over all his possessions. 24 So Jacob was left alone, and a man wrestled with him till daybreak. 25 When the man saw that he could not overpower him, he touched the socket of Jacob’s hip so that his hip was wrenched as he wrestled with the man. 26 Then the man said, “Let me go, for it is daybreak.”
But Jacob replied, “I will not let you go unless you bless me.”
27 The man asked him, “What is your name?”
“Jacob,” he answered.
28 Then the man said, “Your name will no longer be Jacob, but Israel, because you have struggled with God and with humans and have overcome.”
29 Jacob said, “Please tell me your name.”
But he replied, “Why do you ask my name?” Then he blessed him there.
30 So Jacob called the place Peniel, saying, “It is because I saw God face to face, and yet my life was spared.”
Colossians 4:12 - Epaphras, who is one of you and a servant of Christ Jesus, sends greetings. He is always wrestling in prayer for you, that you may stand firm in all the will of God, mature and fully assured.
Ephesians 6:12 - For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.
In today's communion we are asking God to help us be great wrestlers.
Today's Workout/Health Tip
Training wrestlers is a little different than normal training because they have to be good at everything and they get put in all kinds of weird positions. Wrestlers need strength, endurance, mobility, flexibility, quickness, speed, control, balance, and any other quality you can think of. One of the big things in wrestling is to be as strong as possible within your weight class, which also means being very lean, and to have strong hands.
I am praying for you.
Daniel
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