Physical and Spiritual Fitness

References:
• Our Daily Bread Devotional for 06JUL2016
• 1 Timothy 4:6-11
• Hebrews 12:1-3
• Physical and Spiritual Nutrition

I am writing this blog entry as a follow up on one that I wrote on September 13, 2015, as well as a commentary on an Our Daily Bread devotional that I read a while back. They are both related because you cannot have good physical fitness without good nutrition. Our bodies will not be healthy without good, nutritious food, and our spiritual health will not be good without good spiritual nutrition.

My wife and I have recently purchased FitBit watches (https://www.fitbit.com/) in order to better track our physical activities and the calories that we burn. The phone app and online web page that we log into helps us to track the food that we eat, how much water we drink each day, our heart rate, our sleep, etc. All of it has been extremely helpful with living a more healthy life.

While I was deployed to Qatar last year, I was disciplining myself with running three times a week. At first a 5K (approximately 3.1 miles) was the farthest that I would run. But, having ran the All American 10 Miler back in 2004, I choose to push myself to run farther. By early summer, I was running a 10K (approximately 6.2 miles) once a week. It was an exciting time for me because I was steadily improving my run time.

On top of the running, I also did calisthenics two or three times a week. Add to that, the fact that I walked to my destinations most of the time, I was physically in very good shape. It took a lot of self-discipline to do so. I had to allow time for walking to the different places on base; I had to choose to exercise, even when I didn’t feel like it; and I and to make sure that I was eating good, healthy food.

The summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro have come to a close. There, athletes from all over the world compete against each other in various events. Each of these athletes have to train for years in order to compete on the level that they do. It takes many, many years of practice, self-discipline, sacrifice, etc. The end results can be astonishing feats of athletic abilities that can garner great pride and honor. But yet, for those of us who follow Christ, there is so much more to life than one’s physical abilities.

Eventually, all of us grow old. The things that we used to be able to do with ease will eventually become very difficult, if not impossible. Some people are blessed with excellent healthy, endurance, and fitness throughout their life. But, that is not always the case. For many, illness, injury, and/or lifestyle decisions hamper what one can physically and mentally do as they get older. Though it is important to maintain as healthy of a lifestyle as one can, there is more to life than that. That would be spiritual fitness.

Paul drew a parallel between physical fitness and spiritual fitness. Having seen what Roman soldiers were capable of, having seen athletes compete, etc., Paul had a good understanding of the benefits of physical exercise. Having been a Pharisee and scholar, Paul also knew the important of spiritual discipline. Saul would never have become an important member of the religious establishment in Jerusalem without years of hard work and study. After become a Christian, that vast knowledge and intense self-discipline greatly helped him as a traveling missionary. It is something we should aspire to, I believe.

Not all of us will become biblical scholars who are gifted in one ancient language or another. Not all of us will be able to understand ancient history with how it relates to Scripture. Though some people may be gifted in memorizing Scripture or teach Scripture to others, this is not the case for everyone. God has a role for all of us to play in His plans for us and the Church Universal (the Body of Christ). While how we serve God will vary greatly, there is one that is important to all of us. That is knowing Christ in a personal way and deepening that relationship.

I strive to do devotions every day. I do admit, though, there are times where I do better at doing devotions more regularly than others. One thing that I seem to do very well is maintaining a prayerful attitude (praying without ceasing). While in seminary, I was introduced to the idea of prayer walking. That is, while walking around a particular neighborhood, pray for those around you, whatever God brings to your mind. I also make it a point to pray for at least half of my 20 minute commute to work. Each of these things have been very helpful with maintaining and deepening my relationship with Christ. They are not the only things that I do, just some examples.

Just like it takes a lot of self-discipline and time before you will see major results in physical fitness, the same can be said for spiritual fitness. There will be times where it seems like no matter what you do, things seem stagnate. The same happens when you plateau with your physical fitness for a time. In spite of these challenges, continue to seek to know God deeply and intimately. Though physical fitness does have many benefits, there are eternal benefits (and consequences) for our spiritual health. It’s a lifelong challenge, with many plateaus, mountain top experiences, and deep valleys. Are you ready for the challenge?

Reflections on 16 October 2015

I know that it has been a while since I posted an entry here. Things have been very busy for me for the last week or so. But, since I have some down time, I thought that I would write some reflections. And, just so you know, I am writing this on my phone. So, if things seem oddly organized or grammar is poor, that is probably why.

One of my biggest challenges is getting the right balance of personal time for reflecting and recharging, and still getting the socializing that I need. Throw in the responsibilities of being a supervisor and you have quite a balanxing act. There are days where I feel recharged enough that I can face the challengea of life. Other times I feel so drained that anything social is a challenge. And, there are times where I don't have the luxury of recharging, I just have to "suck it up and drive on." So challenging!

Spiritual warfare ia very real. The closer one walks with God and the more you strive to be obedient to Him, the more you should expect spiritual attacks. I have been walking with Christ since January of 1994. You would think that I would not easily get "spiritually ambushed." But, there arw times that I do. But, even when that does happen, my response is typically to return to even more feaverent of prayer.

In the last few weeks, I have been engaged in some very intense spiritual warfare. Between praying for my Chain of Command, the people who persecute the Body of Christ (especially nations that so ao harahly), my family, and several people who arw facing great difficulties, I have received a great deal of "feedback." And not the positive kind.

In fact, a few weeks ago, I couldn't sleep so I did some intense praying. Not too long after I started, I started feel a real heaviness on me. The more I prayed, the worse it got. It got so bad that I started to shake. So, I asked other prayer warriors to pray for me. It seemed that I had really stirred the hornets' nest. And, it worked. Soon after that, I was able to fall back to sleep.

Been enjoying the Bible Study I and another NCO have been doing. I find it so fascinating that the Gospel of John has such simple language, but yet is so deep in the theology! I have joked on several ocassions that I could spend two or maybe even three week on each chapter! They arw just that rich in theology! The dialogue during the studies have been very exciting and informative. I've pointed out a lot of things that others had not noticed before, and others have shared insights that I had not noticed. Such an awesome experience!

I found a very helpful website called "introvertdear.com." I found it about 3 weeks ago and have been reading it regularly ever since. I had ways wondered qhy I reacted to somethings like I have, or why I would feel so utterly drained, even on a good day, when helping others. Things are making more sense now. God hasmade each of us unique. But, certain personalities are more common than others. And, praise God, I have found several INFJ groups on Facebook. It has been so encouraging, talking with others who have had similar experiences.

Life is very challenging. I definitely have been experiencing a lot of stretching in my life. It is both draining and exciting at the same time. I am definitely not the same person I was just a year ago. But, then again, in a year, or even in just a few months, I will be different than I am now. All through out life one should strive to continue to learn and grow as a person. And, as a Christian, one should continously strive to deepen one's walk with Christ.

One other thought before I close this entry. We must always remember that we do not always know what God is doing in our lives and in the lives of those around us. Sometimes God allows us to see glimpses of what He is doing. But, not always. We must walk in faith the God will honor what we do in faith and bring about His perfect will. Just like it takes months or even yeara for a plant to grow, mature, and evwn bare fruit, so it is in our lives. We must patiently wait for Gid to do His will. And, waiting can be so very hard, too. May God help us to do so.