In the recents past weeks I have been getting back into exercising with an aerobics exercise video. Even though I used this same video a year and a half ago, it's almost like I'm beginning again. I've going a little slower and paying careful attention to my foot placements, my steps, arm movements and the like. As I begin new exercises I still make lots of mistakes. In addition I've only put a medium amount of effort into it, largely because there are times when I'm unsure about foot placements or hand movements etc..

This morning something was different. Largely because I've getting good at the exercises again and don't to think about my foot placements and my hand movements, etc. I also want to do the exercises correctly, I began connecting with the exercisies more and putting more of myself and my effort into it. This had very positive effects; my heart was beating faster, I was breathing deeper, my muscles were more in tune. I was enjoying the exercising more because I "wanted" to do the exercises. I felt like it was a part of me.

As I began to realize the effect of my becoming more engaged in the exercises I began to think about the concept of the Law and of the Spirit. Also, this verse came to me "The law was meant to bring us to Christ...." and I began to understand. The law was like my video exercise instructor. She showed me what exercises to do and how to do them. But as long as I as only "following along" but never internalizing the motivation of the exercises, then they only do me a very limited amount of good. But when I began to accept the motivations of the instructor and began to put my whole heart into the exercises, then they began to have a very beneficial impact within my body.

In my the same way, the law came to show us what God expected of us. However, if we only do lip-service and minimally follow the law, we are always in bondage to the law. We are continually messing up because we continually resist having to submit to the law. The law always requires more of us than we are willing to give. However, when we finally accept the concepts and principles of the law (as it is found in Christ), we take them within us. We then realize that the law was like my exercise instructor. It merely showed us what and how to do. But it can never make us take the law internally.

As we accept the concepts of the law within us, be begin to put our whole heart into living out God's Internal Law and we are able to live a much higher life than the law could ever bring about within us. We begin to live by the Spirit of the law and keep in step with the spirit. God's Inner Law gives a desire and motivation to make the concepts of the law a part of our inner being, and thus fulfill the requirements of the law.

The Law can be defined as "standards for living an honorable and godly life", but it doesn't give us the desire or the motivation to live a holy life.

The Summary is this: Anything that we first start doing we first need some guidelines or instructions (i.e. the Law) to tell us what we are supposed to be doing. With that we still are awkward and unsteady at doing. We make lots of mistakes. If we keep with the activity long enough, following the rules and guidelines, we start to become better at doing it. If we go a step further, and develop a passion for doing it we begin to internalize all the concepts and principles about How to do it. We no longer have to continually refer to the Instruction Manual. Instead the "how-to's" have went inside us and become a part of who we are.