A Spiritual Core Work Out

Today’s Treasure

All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, rebuking, correcting, and training in righteousness.

II Timothy 3:16

This is one of those verses that encompass the core beliefs of authentic Christianity, and the “core” is always the stabilizer of the entire body and where our strength emanates from.  

The verse packs a hefty punch.  There is a promissory note in the text in the use of the word profitable.  If you have a relationship with the Lord, then you will abide in His Word-- which will be profitable.  You will seek to daily grow in intimacy and spiritual oneness with God-- which will be profitable.  You will use His Word as a litmus test to how you think and act-- which will be profitable. 

Let us not forget that the Word of God is just as alive and applicable in 2021 and continues to do its job as it teaches…rebukes...corrects… and trains… all of which is profitable!  

The growth and healthy spiritual maintenance that results when you study the Word of God, will not only be profitable to you, but will be visible to those around you.  Training daily in the Word and with prayer will make you spiritually strong and build spiritual muscle that will sustain you no matter what comes your way.  And it is that muscle that will be especially visible when faced with an unexpected crisis.

I get the gist of this principle spiritually because I have always worked out physically.  It’s been part of my life for decades. In my younger days, I would jump on the treadmill daily in the privacy of my own home and go at a fairly comfortable pace. I was disciplined in my habit, but not so dedicated to the results because I didn’t think I needed to be.

And then at 50-years-old, when my hormones were slowing down, and my frame was growing out, I decided to join a gym.  All of this bodily havoc coincided with a time in my life when my spiritual heart was in deep distress.  You see, my youngest son was sent away to prison.  My life had changed immeasurably, and I was looking for ways to cope.  And beating up my body in an intense boot camp class seemed like the right remedy to not only get into shape, but to get my mind off my circumstances—even if for just an hour.  

It was there in that class that my complacent attitude towards faithfully ‘working out’ was exposed.  It was in the gym that I got a  taste of what true commitment and zeal actually looked like-- at least of the worldly kind.  My class was filled with hard-core gym enthusiasts, who had dedicated themselves to physical exercise for years-- and it was evident in their body.  Their well-toned muscles, physical endurance, and dietary knowledge highlighted their commitment. 

It was an eye-opener for me.  As I was surrounded by an obsession for the physical, I felt the sad disparity between what is really good for the body and what is really good for the body—the spiritual.  Paul says it best:

For physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come”.

1 Timothy 4:8

Thankfully for me during that trying season, the Word had already settled deep within me and was a promissory note that continued to instruct me, rebuke me, and train me in its power.  

So, when my new gym friends found out I was the mom of “that guy,” the local professional athlete, who was the drunk driver in that fatal accident that took the life of an innocent man, they were astounded.

They shared with me that they would never have imagined me to be the mother whose son was in the headlines for months and now resided in prison.  They told me they didn’t see the strain in my countenance; they sensed a quiet joy and welcoming demeanor.  What they were unknowingly observing was a strong spiritual core that profited from years of working out with the Word.  This gave me an opportunity to point them to the One True God.  A few of the women eventually attended a Bible study I was teaching.

LIFE GIVING ENCOURAGEMENT

God’s Word never fails us and guarantees us spiritual muscle at any age and any stage of life.  The old slogan, “use it or lose it” as applied to muscle, also applies to our spiritual response when in an unsettled, unexpected tragic situation.  The Word of God will carry us through any crisis.

PRAYER

Father help me to prioritize my spiritual exercise as naturally as I indulge my flesh.  Forgive me, Lord, as I never forget a meal, and yet there are times when I skip my spiritual food or shove it down quickly in order to get to my day.  May my intake of Your Word be as natural as breathing the air because Your Word is Your Breath. Amen.