I know that many of you are impressed with my 90 day transformation. Sure, it was impressive. I lost 43 lbs and put on some muscle. I got “ripped” for the first time in my life. It was a great transformtion — one that landed me on the Infomercial and the homepage for Beachbody.com.
But that 90 day transformation is NOTHING compared to the INSTANT TRANSFORMATION I had on September 22, 2005. Instant? Yes, INSTANT! In a moment I went from death to life. From lost to found. From filthy to clean. I didn’t have to work 90 days to “earn it”. I didn’t have to do anything! In fact, I couldn’t do anything for this transformation. It was impossible in my power. God did it! Let me explain:
It’s Easter weekend! And for many, that means dressing up extra nice for church, hunting Easter eggs, and eating those little sugar covered marshmallows called “Peeps”. But what is Easter really about? It’s the most important day of the year to me. Why is that? Because it defines the purpose for my entire life. It gives me hope. It gives me meaning. It teaches me what love is, what sacrifice is, what I’m supposed to be doing as I go through life on this earth.
Easter is about VICTORY! Many people throughout history have inspired others. Many have led revolutions. Many have even claimed to be divine. But they all had one thing in common — they died … and stayed dead. Just like the rest of us will. As great as those people may have been, they were still under the curse of death — the wages of sin.
But there is one exception — one man claimed to be God, performed miracles, healed the sick, and lived a life with no sin (other than being accused of blasphemy for calling Himself God). And on top of all that, He also predicted that He would die on the cross to pay the debt that we owe (the wages of our sin is death) and then come back to life. He was put to that test when He hung on a cross, crying out “It is finished!”, and then breathed his last breath. 3 days later, this man proved He was who He said He was by rising from the dead — showing that sin and death had no power over Him. This one is … Jesus Christ!
It’s no wonder that all of human history points to Him, as it should. As much as our politically correct culture tries to push Jesus to the sidelines and “confine” Him (as if that were possible), we simply can’t ignore the Truth that is all around us. Every time we look at a person, made in God’s image, we can either accept that they are fearfully and wonderfully made, with a soul that exists beyond the molecules that make up their body, or we can try to rationalize that we are all just the product of blind chance and that our lives have no real value.
Every time we write the date on a form or paper, we are reminding oursleves that the pinnacle of history (“His Story”) was 2011 years ago. Schools may have taken “under God” out of the pledge in America, but they still let us write the date, 2011, on our papers! 2011 years since what? :-) Jesus Christ!
3 outstanding books that I’d encourage all of you to read (both believers and skeptics) is a series of books by Lee Strobel, “Case for Christ”, “Case for Faith”, and “Case for a Creator”. Lee Strobel was an atheist who set out to prove that God and Jesus were not real, but the evidence led him to a place he never expected to go. I see many religions based on blind faith. I am so thankful that Christianity is not based on blind faith, but a reasoned faith based on evidence.
The fact that Jesus was born is celebrated at Christmas. That’s a wonderful holiday to be sure. But the fact that He, the God of the universe and the very one who created it all, died on a cross for MY sins, and then rose from the grave to show that He had the power over sin and death — that’s where my hope is found! If you’ve placed your trust in Jesus Christ and His finished work on the cross to pay your debts, I rejoice with you! If you haven’t, please consider what I’ve said here. I know I’m just your fitness coach, here to help you take care of your mortal body (and don’t get me wrong, that’s a very important part of what we are to do on this earth — 1 Cor. 6:19-20).
But if I stop there, and don’t let you know about a future where our bodies will never get sick, never die, and never be under the curse of sin again — a future in fellowship with our Creator, experiencing the vast joy of a heaven prepared for us before time, then I would be wasting the opportunity I’ve been given. God has opened a door for me with the platform I have as the most popular Beachbody Coach, and I often wonder why. I may not ever know why. But I can surely know how He wants me to use it to reach others and share the gospel message — His message of hope and salvation that can only be found through the resurrection of Jesus Christ.
Have you accepted His payment on your behalf? He’s paid the price to cancel your debt and mine. What debt? Our sin is our debt, and we ALL owe it (“For ALL have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” — Romans 3:23). We will either pay that debt ourselves (and it won’t be pretty!), or we can accept Jesus’s payment on our behalf (which wasn’t pretty either! It was the ultimate act of selfless love from Him to us). We don’t (and can’t) do anything to earn it. We simply accept His free gift. “The wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord” — Romans 6:23. Praise the Lord!
There are no pre-requisites to having an Instant transformation like I had. You don’t have to send any money. You don’t have to be in a certain place, or go through a certain ceremony. This transformation happens anywhere and any time. As soon as you reach out to Him, you’ll see that He’s already there ready to embrace you!
To learn more about trusting Jesus as your personal Savior and Lord, or if you have questions and would like to talk to someone who will help you find answers, call 1-888-NEEDHIM. You can also explore the website www.NEEDHIM.org (watch the video tour the first time so you understand how the site works — it’s a great place to ask questions and get answers — no strings attached).
Have a blessed Easter teamRIPPED!
— Coach Wayne
Need a coach?
My email: coachwayne@teamripped.com
IG: @wayne_wyatt
