Spiritual Fitness

Take time and trouble to keep yourself spiritually fit. Bodily fitness has a certain value, but spiritual fitness is essential both for this present life and for the life to come. There is no doubt about this at all, and Christians should remember it. It is because we realize the paramount importance of the spiritual that we labor and struggle. We place our whole confidence in the living God, the savior of all men, and particularly of those who believe in him. These convictions should be the basis of your instruction and teaching. (1 Timothy 4:6b-11)

As you and I daily consider the “paramount importance of the spiritual,” how are each of us to stay “spiritually fit,” as Paul says? Well, how does one stay physically fit? 

Utilizing that wondrous concordance known as the World Wide Web, you can find all kinds of helps and theories on the topic of a "great workout." One website I found was especially fun, listing these five attributes:

1.      Rate of Perceived Exertion
2.      Actual Heart Rate
3.      Quality over Quantity
4.      Muscle Fatigue
5.      Increased Hunger

How perfect are those descriptions for what we’re after in Jesus! 

As we daily spend time with Him, may our own “rate of perceived exertion” go down in stepping under His yoke in His strength! May we never leave our time with Him without a marked uptick in heart-rate: pay attention to your emotions: don’t ignore them! May our quantities be overwhelmed by an experience of His quality, His goodness, His palpable Presence within us! May we exhaust our spiritual energy, letting our spiritual muscles get pulled, worn and fatigued, doing His sort of daily work! And, above all else, may our life-in-Him create a hunger that is unending; may more Jesus lead to hunger for only more Jesus!

Thank you, Savior and Friend, that all the hard work is really actually yours... and "it is finished!"