We all know that it takes sweat to keep our bodies in shape. It’s just the way it is. The more I discipline myself to move… the more I move. The more I sit… the more I sit. It’s just the way it is. There is nothing new about the benefits of having your body sweat. If you have additional time in your schedule right now, I hope you are being disciplined and investing in the Lord’s temple!
My Mom is 95. Her mind has diminished to the point where she doesn’t know my name but we praise God that she is very content. However, she can recite the 23rd Psalm with me because it was buried deep in her mind when she was a child. We recently moved her to a different Assisted Living facility that practices SAIDO Learning with the residents. SAIDO was developed by the Japanese to exercise (sweat) the mind. We have seen a marked difference in Mom’s ability to construct a 3 word sentence. We praise God for SAIDO! Work is often a good way to exercise your mind. If you aren’t working, make sure you find ways to exercise your mind.
Have you ever thought of your Soul as something that will get fat and flabby if you don’t exercise (sweat) it? It’s interesting that God won’t let me read about lifting weights, or go to a gym and watch others do it – and gain anything from it. The same is true for your soul. God never told us to “go and make believers”. (So they can become spiritual couch potatoes). He commanded us to “go and make Disciples”. A disciple is a “disciplined follower of Jesus”. It doesn’t take discipline to sit on a couch and watch TV. And it doesn’t take much discipline to “go to church” once a week. Even “going to” a Bible study can be fairly passive. On the other hand, it takes considerable discipline to be in protracted prayer or study God’s Word for any length of time. But, if you agree that exercising your body and mind is beneficial, exercising your soul in prayer and the study of God’s Word offers eternal reward!
Here’s what Paul had to say about it in his letter to Timothy: “discipline yourself for the purpose of Godliness; for bodily discipline is only of little profit, but godliness is profitable for all things, since it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come” (1 Timothy 4:7,8).
Paul didn’t say bodily discipline is of no benefit. Clearly it has benefit! But, when compared to exercising our soul – he considers it of “little benefit”. Perspective is Everything! We won’t exercise our bodies if we don’t have the perspective that it will help. It takes work! If we don’t have the perspective of the author of Hebrews in Hebrews 6:1 “let us press on to maturity”, we will more than likely watch our church’s Sunday service, pray from time to time, and “read some scripture” – maybe even every day – but we won’t “sweat our souls”. Because it takes Perspective and Discipline to do that.
It has been said that it takes 21 days to create a habit. I pray that we all take the time now – whether you’re working or not – to create healthy habits to strengthen your body, mind, and soul by creating “sweat” in all three areas of our life. An added blessing of a good spiritual workout is it doubles as a mental workout!!!
If you are working from home or not working at all, take the advise of Moses when he said in Psalm 90 “teach us to number our days so we may present a heart of wisdom”. He is asking God to help us get our priorities straight and manage our own calendar. If your life resembles that of the steel ball in a pinball machine and you head wherever the paddle whacks you – you are not managing your own time. You are simply responding to external stimuli.
In these unsettling times, we need structure now more than ever. Especially if you don’t have a job that you “go to”, you must create that structure. You must also set your own priorities. God is going to hold each one of us accountable for how we served Him (2 Corinthians 5:10). No one else will stand in our place.
As we meditate on the unfathomable sacrifice our Lord and Savior made for us and celebrate Resurrection Sunday, lets join Moses in his prayer “teach us to number our days, that we may present to You a heart of wisdom”.
God Bless!
Sweat in the Spiritual Gym!
Although my outer body decaying my inner spirate and mind is exceeding and being renewed each day. 2 chor 4 :16
Thanks Kim – good stuff.
It’s really amazing how this period as shown me how fragile we really are. The isolation caused by social distancing and the uncertainty of my ability to continue to provide for my family creates anxiety, and wasn’t even on my radar a month ago.
My Mother has a little poem on a plaque at our family cottage that says; “Only one life will soon be past, only what’s done for Christ will last.”