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Exercise daily in God—no spiritual flabbiness, please! Workouts in the gymnasium are useful, but a disciplined life in God is far more so, making you fit both today and forever (1 Timothy 4:7-8, MSG).
Christianity is a relationship with God. As such, spiritual fitness differs from physical fitness. I will describe the differences in a moment, but first, take the following Spiritual Fitness Check-up …
I hope you didn’t have an experience like this reader of Interruptions:
Someone who took the test. Click to see results!
As a believer in “grace only” for our salvation, I know that checking boxes won’t get us into heaven. That’s the difference between physical and spiritual exercise: with no pain, no gain, an ironclad rule of muscle development, a better time in running a mile, and dieting. However, with spiritual fitness, the important goal of salvation has been won through the blood of Jesus!
Our question is, “How much do we want to enjoy Jesus in this life?”
With Christianity as a relationship, there must be relational discipline. A great marriage results from talking to one another, fidelity, spending time together, and working toward shared goals. Walking with Jesus is the same: we pray and read our Bible (and engage in other disciplines) because we want to know Him and be in His presence.
Paul writes a prayer to the Ephesian church about a motivation by love growing in knowledge of Jesus.
I ask him to strengthen you by his Spirit—not a brute strength but a glorious inner strength—that Christ will live in you as you open the door and invite him in. And I ask him that with both feet planted firmly on love, you’ll be able to take in with all followers of Jesus the extravagant dimensions of Christ’s love (Ephesians 3:14-18).
Again, Christianity is a relationship, but loving disciplines enable us to experience a Savior who changes our lives through His presence. Let’s continue to pray, “Jesus, give me a heart to pray and read my Bible so that I can know You!”