Life and Peace

A verse I've been chewing over these last couple of days:

"For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit. For to set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace."
Romans 8:5-6

This verse has really spoken to me as I definitely feel the weight of conviction that I'm more caught up in the physical world (the flesh) than I should be. Preoccupied with material possessions, benefits, pursuits and pleasures, the Spirit is so often shoved into second place.

And this verse says that is death.

Death!!!

That's not good. And the truth is you can feel a death within you when you get preoccupied with the physical. Because it doesn't satisfy, at all. When time with God gets squeezed out you feel very hollow.

These last few days I've reprioritised a few things and it's been really liberating. Setting my mind on the Spirit has been very refreshing. Physical, material things fall out of focus. All of a sudden, they're not so important. Your weight, fitness, bank balance and leisure time — when you set your mind on the Spirit you remember they're just temporary things. This physical world is all passing away.

"but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace" — how awesome is that promise! Life and peace are two things that everybody craves. To be alive spiritually and at peace with God is very, very good. There's an eternal ring to that phrase.

The Everyday Things (Part 2)

Health and Fitness - I've realised that it's crazy to think that God's not interested in you being slim, fit and healthy. The only reason Jesus was able to carry his cross an endure the beatings was because he was in shape. The only reason he was able to walk all those miles and execute his ministry well was because he was a healthy man and a good steward of his body.

I've realise that I've been holding on to my gym routine with a closed fist, not showing it to God. I felt a while back that God whispered 'three times a week' in my ear, regarding how many times I should crank out my routine. I ignored that for a while and kept going everyday.

However, I've now tried the three-times-a-week approach and realised how utterly vital it has been to have that extra time for reading, meditation and prayer. It's so refreshing. And it's perfectly doable from a weight-control point of view. It helps you feel more well-rested and peaceful. Listening to God is always best. Sometimes it just takes a while for the penny to drop.

Incredibly Hard Workers (Part 2)

The words of D.L. Moody...

"God is not a hard taskmaster; and, in later years, I have learned, that to do your best work, you cannot afford to neglect the common laws of health."

From D.L. Moody, Soul Winner by Chester Mann

Try, Try, Try Again

I once read a No Fear poster that said "You miss 100% of the shots you never take". Trouble is, most of us don't set ourselves a goal. We don't know where we're running and we've got nothing to shoot at. It can feel a little unproductive.

A goal has to be clearly defined. You've got to mark it out exactly and play towards it. It pretty much applies to everything in your life that your life that you want to be fruitful in: generous giving, bible reading, daily prayer, dating your wife, health and fitness, leading a life group, earning a living... on and on. You've got to mark out your goal and track your progress.

If you take the picture further, most of the excitement games like football isn't found in the goals themselves. There might only be two or three in 90 minutes. It's in all the action leading up to them: the passing, the tackling, the shots from 40 yards that ricochet off the post. It can all be really exciting. And I guess it's the same in life. You don't always succeed on your first attempt. But it's exciting seeing how close you came. You try, try, try again until that ball is in the back of the net.

A Thought on Fasting

I've always thought that fasting was purely to show God you're serious about some particular matter, and to free up time cooking and eating meals. I'm sure this is all true, but it also appears there are numerous health benefits –  basically a rest and a revamp for your digestive system, cleansing out the toxic substances stored in the body. It can reset your body clock, give your body extra energy for healing and restoring itself. Interestingly, it can also increase your mental clarity.

According to www.howtobefit.com "it's a great tactic for mental and spiritual rejuvenation because it forces focus on important thoughts and frees the mind from everyday clutter. When you are deprived of nutrients, your body – in survival mode – begins to focus on things of true importance."

So it could well be that some fasts (probably shorter ones) could give you a mental lift needed for prayer, making them sharper and more effective. It also reminds you that you're human, frail and temporary.

The Everyday Things – Health and Fitness

"I wrestle solely for the strength and coordination of muscle tone that the body receives while working out, with the ultimate end that of presenting a more useful body as a living sacrifice. This God knows, and even though He chose to allow it to be strained, the motive was for His glory and the faith he honors. Simplicity of heart and freedom from anxiety He expects of us, and he gives us grace to have both."
Through Gates of Splendor, p7

Taking care of your body should be done with the motive of honouring God, and being a good steward of what He has given us. Being fit and healthy will enable us to be more effective in God's work throughout our lives. It can also release us from so many unnecessary health burdens such as obesity, depression and lethargy, which will no doubt hinder us in all we do. Jesus himself would never have survived the flogging he received before crucifixion if he wasn't so physically fit.

I suppose I always struggle with niggling doubts about spending too much time at the gym. And the issue is time. Anything that eats away hours every day could be painfully distracting from your walk with Jesus. Which leads to this – a verse for the gym rat:

"Rather train yourself for godliness; for while bodily training is of some value, godliness is of value in every way, as it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come."
1 Timothy 4:10

A physically fit body does have value, and should be pursued, but godliness is eternal in nature. There's something of eternal significance with every minute spent in the bible, in prayer, in meditation. However dedicated you are to the gym, be a thousand times more dedicated to Jesus.

A Theory on Fat

I've just been struck by a thought I've never had before. And it's this – literally everything you do should be to the glory of God; and literally everything he created was for his glory.

Lately I've been praying for God to make me less vain. It's this dumb little idol I have, and one I really struggle to shift. Basically, I just want to be a bit skinner and a bit more athletic than my current frame. Nothing wrong with that, I just hate the way it dominates my thinking sometimes. I blame TV. So here's a theory. What's my heart attitude? I'm blatantly on some self-glorifying mission to look good.

But if everything should be done for God's glory, then every area of your life is included: films you watch, sports you play, language you use, your finances, how you work your job, whether or not you have a string of ex-girlfriends etc etc. And if everything has been created for God's glory then, when we see athletic ability, an amazing talent or beauty (in whatever form), it should lead us to worship God.

I find that incredibly liberating. Ultimately, you can be doing the exact same thing: going to the gym and watching your diet. But realising that it's God's body (not yours) and seeking to honour him by being a good steward of it totally takes the focus off yourself.

"So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do,
do it all for the glory of God."
1 Corinthians 10:31

I don't know why that never occurred to me before.