Spiritual Fitness

Australians are very into fitness.  It doesn't surprise me that a large amount of children and youth in Sydney play sports.  What surprises me is how many adults play organized sports or join the gym, ride bikes, swim, or run around punching bags and lifting weights with a personal trainer in the park.  It's not uncommon for people to play sports on a team into their sixties!  My neighbor is passionate about fitness of all kinds.  He kayaks, hits the gym, swings a kettlebell, rides a bike, and does some boxing training as well.  Improving your fitness involves more than exercise, however:  it is a regimented lifestyle of remaining accountable to a healthy diet, faithfully going to the gym, setting aside time for training, and always seeking to take it up a level.  It involves pain, working through injuries, sacrifices, moderation with food and drink, and effort.  It means doing what you know is good for you, even when you don't feel like doing it.

When I drove by the gym on the way to church to pray at 5:45am on Tuesday, I could see 50 people through the glass jumping up and down and punching the air.  The thought crossed my mind:  "Those people have more drive to be physically fit than many Christians do to be spiritually fit."  How great it would be if churches had such excitement and energy from folks to faithfully attend a 6am prayer meeting!  1 Timothy 4:8 says, "For bodily exercise profits a little, but godliness is profitable for all things, having promise of the life that now is and of that which is to come."  I remember reading a book which told of a man who would rise at 4am to pray every day and was greatly shamed if he heard the sound of the blacksmith's hammer or ox carts passing by his home before he knelt and prayed to God.  His belief was that his effort and devotion to God in prayer should be greater than the faithfulness of other people simply pursuing secular work.

A huge part of exercise is simply exercising.  Sometimes it is a physical condition due to poor fitness, the fact that our clothes no longer fit, or disgust over our appearance that moves us to make changes in our lives to diet and exercise.  The typical routine is we are faithful until we begin to notice some improvement.  We become satisfied with the fruit of our labour and begin to slowly neglect the disciplines which brought success.  Before too long we are eating too much, exercising too little, and the familiar cycle begins again.  It is the same way in spiritual matters.  We lay hold of the victory God has given us in an area of our lives or rejoice in a spiritual gift He has granted us.  But over time our reliance on God turns into self-confidence, gifts become dusty and rusty through neglect, and we wonder where our joy, peace, and fulfillment has gone.

There are many ways to improve fitness, and the same could be said concerning the life of a Christian as well.  However, there are some staples which cannot be neglected if we desire a closer walk with Christ, resting in the power of the Holy Spirit.  Prayer is a massive key.  Ephesians 6:18 says Christians ought to be "...praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints..."  We also must seek close fellowship with other believers, sharpening one another and remaining accountable.  This means we must ask and agree with being asked tough personal questions so we might examine our lives closely.  The study and reading of the Bible empowered with the Holy Spirit is a must.  It is one thing to hear sermons, but studying the Word for yourself is a critical step in personal, spiritual growth.

One aspect of spiritual fitness I have recently "re-discovered" is that of memorizing Bible verses.  In my younger days, memorizing scripture was something I did both at school and in my home.  By first grade I knew the books of the Bible and could recite Psalm 1 and 23 by heart.  Over the years I memorized a lot of other verses too.  But as I went into adulthood, focusing on Bible verse memory was not a top priority.  I always agreed with the practice of storing God's Word in my heart so the Spirit could bring it to remembrance to govern my life.  But the thing I didn't realize as a young person is memorization should not be simply viewed as the storage of information.  God's Word is living, and it goes right to work on our hearts and minds when we meditate on it.  Over the past few weeks I've been memorizing some verses, and God has used them mightily to impress new truth upon my life.  Same old truth, new application and power.  I am recognizing more and more the power of God's Word and delight to memorize it - not so I can earn a gold star, but so God will make me spiritually fit to do His work.

What does the scripture say?  2 Timothy 3:16-17 reads, "All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, ¹⁷ that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work."  If I believe the Bible is truly as powerful and necessary as God claims it is, then I must do something about it.  Anyone can write a verse on a card and repeat it word for word, but it is God who makes the Word come alive and actually complete us, thoroughly equipping us for every good work.  Memorizing scripture was a missing part of my spiritual fitness regimen for some time, but no more.  Psalm 34:8 says, "Oh, taste and see that the LORD is good; Blessed is the man who trusts in Him!"  Enough with the junk!  Put something good into your mind, heart, and soul for a healthy change!  Do it - and keep doing it!