The Last Rep
“And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men;”Colossians 3:23 (KJV)
Most of a workout is easy to fake. The last rep isn’t. That is the moment when it burns, nobody is watching, and you decide whether to finish or quit one short.
What we rehearse in small moments becomes automatic in big ones. If you learn to cut corners when it hurts at the gym, you will probably cut them at work and at home too. If you learn to finish, that carries over as well.
Paul uses the athlete as a picture: “every man that striveth for the mastery is temperate in all things.” And he gives the motive that changes everything: “whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men.” Even the last rep can be done for him.
This isn’t about getting stronger, though that is a good thing. It is about who you become in the small, quiet, uncomfortable moments. That person shows up everywhere else.
Read it yourself
Read 1 Corinthians 9:24–27. What does Paul say the athlete’s crown is, compared with ours?
Where in your life do you tend to quit one rep short when no one is watching?
Lord, let me do even small things heartily, as to you. Shape me in the quiet moments. Amen.