The Ab Belt Gospel

Read The Daily:
“My purpose is to give them a rich and satisfying life.” – John 10:10

I once bought an ab belt from an infomercial that promised a six-pack in six weeks—just wear it for 30 minutes a day. Sounded easy, especially while eating cheeseburgers at midnight. I’ve made some questionable purchases in my life—but the ab belt was next-level. It promised a six-pack just by electrocuting your stomach while you watched TV. I thought, “This is genius. I can get ripped and rewatch The Office.” What they didn’t tell you is that after 30 minutes, it felt less like a workout and more like you’re being tased by your own belly button. I lasted the full six weeks, and you know what I learned? The belt stings and I didn’t lose weight—I lost trust. In the belt. In infomercials. … and also, what sounds too good to be true usually is. But here’s what’s wild: when Jesus said He came to give us a full and satisfying life, He wasn’t selling snake oil. He meant it.

Still, it’s easy to doubt, right? Especially when life feels anything but full. We think maybe we’re doing it wrong. Or maybe we’re not spiritual enough. But what if the life Jesus offers really is different—not because it’s easier, but because it’s rooted in love, not performance? Jesus doesn’t hand out a spiritual to-do list. He invites us into a relationship. He says the satisfying life starts when we let go of religious rules and start living loved.

You don’t need to earn your six-pack or God’s love. The full life isn’t found in chasing more—it’s in receiving what He’s already done. You don’t have to shock your abs or prove your worth. Jesus already did the work. All that’s left is to live in response.

But here’s the thing: I think a lot of us treat faith the same way. We buy into promises that if we just do this or fix that, life will finally feel full. We hustle for happiness. We religiously follow “steps to success.” And we end up spiritually sore and still stuck. Jesus isn’t offering a six-step program—He’s offering Himself. And unlike the ab belt, what He promises actually delivers. Grace doesn’t sting—it sets you free.

Prayer for the Day

God what are you  showing me?  What am I going to do about it?
God help me to see one person that I can serve through a kind word, random act of kindness, or simple gift today?
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Read The New Testament In A Year

4 x 6 Plan | Read: Mark 13:14-31 & 2 Corinthians 5:1-10

“The day is coming when you will see the sacrilegious object that causes desecration standing where he should not be.” (Reader, pay attention!) “Then those in Judea must flee to the hills. A person out on the deck of a roof must not go down into the house to pack. A person out in the field must not return even to get a coat. How terrible it will be for pregnant women and for nursing mothers in those days. And pray that your flight will not be in winter. For there will be greater anguish in those days than at any time since God created the world. And it will never be so great again. In fact, unless the Lord shortens that time of calamity, not a single person will survive. But for the sake of his chosen ones he has shortened those days. “Then if anyone tells you, ‘Look, here is the Messiah,’ or ‘There he is,’ don’t believe it. For false messiahs and false prophets will rise up and perform signs and wonders so as to deceive, if possible, even God’s chosen ones. Watch out! I have warned you about this ahead of time! “At that time, after the anguish of those days, the sun will be darkened, the moon will give no light, the stars will fall from the sky, and the powers in the heavens will be shaken. Then everyone will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds with great power and glory. And he will send out his angels to gather his chosen ones from all over the world—from the farthest ends of the earth and heaven. “Now learn a lesson from the fig tree. When its branches bud and its leaves begin to sprout, you know that summer is near. In the same way, when you see all these things taking place, you can know that his return is very near, right at the door. I tell you the truth, this generation will not pass from the scene before all these things take place. Heaven and earth will disappear, but my words will never disappear. Mark 13:14-31

For we know that when this earthly tent we live in is taken down (that is, when we die and leave this earthly body), we will have a house in heaven, an eternal body made for us by God himself and not by human hands. We grow weary in our present bodies, and we long to put on our heavenly bodies like new clothing. For we will put on heavenly bodies; we will not be spirits without bodies. While we live in these earthly bodies, we groan and sigh, but it’s not that we want to die and get rid of these bodies that clothe us. Rather, we want to put on our new bodies so that these dying bodies will be swallowed up by life. God himself has prepared us for this, and as a guarantee he has given us his Holy Spirit. So we are always confident, even though we know that as long as we live in these bodies we are not at home with the Lord. For we live by believing and not by seeing. Yes, we are fully confident, and we would rather be away from these earthly bodies, for then we will be at home with the Lord. So whether we are here in this body or away from this body, our goal is to please him. For we must all stand before Christ to be judged. We will each receive whatever we deserve for the good or evil we have done in this earthly body.  2 Corinthians 5:1-10

Read More – Bible Project Overviews: Mark, 2 Corinthians