A Spiritual Fitness Program
February 28th, 2008 Posted in Growth
People sometimes commit to a health program, especially as a New Year’s resolution. I suspect to some degree we all have a health program, an idea of things we should do, and things we shouldn’t do, that will help us stay healthy. We might even have been inspired by an article in Reader’s Digest or Sunday’s Parade Magazine. For most of us, however, it probably isn’t something we take very seriously for very long.But what I got to thinking about today is whether or not we’re on a spiritual health program. Are we intentional about getting spiritually more healthy? Getting flabby physically is one thing but what about getting spiritually flabby? After all, the apostle Paul reminded his young friend Timothy, “For physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come.” (1 Timothy 4:8)
So, I asked myself, just what is involved in becoming more spiritually fit? Here’s what I came up with:
- Eat right - Don’t take in the junk food of this world but feed regularly on that which gives true nourishment to the soul, which is God’s Word, the Bible. We can’t depend on eating out once-a-week at a buffet to keep ourselves fed physically. We need some good food every day. So it is with spiritual food. Once a week at church isn’t enough. We need to feed ourselves each day on God’s Word.
- Get some Son - We need to expose ourselves to the Son. He’s the true light of the world!
- Exercise regularly - The Lord doesn’t want us to be spiritual couch potatoes. We’re to be actively involved in serving Him. We should break a sweat for Him!
- Get plenty of rest - Being God’s person takes effort. We’ll get tired. We need to rest in Him and be renewed by Him. He gives us one day in seven to do this. Use Sunday to recharge with your church family, with your earthly family, with friends, and alone.
We’re not to stay the way we are when it comes to spiritual health. God wants us to keep getting healthier and healthier. The good news is that when it comes to spiritual health, unlike physical health, we can keep getting healthier until the day we die. We can keep looking more and more like Jesus, the perfect specimen of spiritual vitality. So, here’s to your health, your spiritual health!
Dave
