[Note to pastors: This sermon started a new ministry. In this sermon I invited people to share in a ?distance devotional program.? See point 8. I had over 400 families sign up for this!]
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Can you believe it is the last Sunday of 1998? There are just 5 days left until 1999.
It is resolution time.
How many of you set goals? Can I see the hands of those of you who try to set a goal for the New Year?
How many of you have ever set a goal to lose weight or get in shape?
How many of you have ever set a goal to lose weight or get in shape and nothing happened?
I have. Three years in a row I set a goal to get in shape. Three years in a row nothing changed. But this past year was different. I resolved to get in shape, and big changes were made.
SLIDE (I had fun with this. I showed a slide of a sumo wrestler with my head on it. Then I showed a slide of a body-builder with my head on it - got a lot of laughs)
I?m twenty pounds lighter, at least 80% stronger, and have much more endurance.
Each year I also resolve to get in spiritual shape. And I?m not the only one. For thousands of years, God?s people have been stretching spiritual muscles through a variety of exercises. Today?s text proves it. It is (1 Tim 4:7, 8; p. 840 in pew Bible. You can also find it at the top of your bulletin).
The Apostle Paul writes, ? . . . train yourself to be godly. 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"
The Greek word for ?training? is ?gumnasia.? (goom-nas-ee-ah). This is the word we get for gymnasium. We are to put ourselves into a gymnasium for training in godliness.
This past year I?ve learned a great deal from my physical transformation that has also helped me spiritually. In fact, I?ve discovered that physical training provides a helpful metaphor for spiritual training. There are many principles of physical health that have spiritual corollaries. Here are ten application points (yes 10 -- last point is Reward Yourslef) of physical conditioning that have helped me grow spiritually as well.
1. SET THE RIGHT GOAL
I set goals in the years I had failed to get in physical shape, but they were the wrong kind.
I?d set goals like ?run four days a week? or ?lift weights every Monday, Wednesday and Friday.? I discovered several problems with goals like these.
First, they didn?t inspire me.
Second, it was easy to believe I failed if I missed a day or two.
Third, I hadn?t really set goals; I had made plans. I had confused the means for the end.
So when I set my physical goal this year, I changed it from how often I would exercise to what I wanted to look like.
Similarly I?ve missed spiritual goals I?ve set, such as ?read 5 chapters in the Bible everyday? or ?pray a half-hour a day.?
Again, I wasn?t inspired.
I felt as if I failed if I missed a day or more,
and I had confused the means for the end. I noticed even another trap with these kinds of spiritual goals. If I was doing well, I had the tendency to be prideful about it -- the exact opposite effect it should have.
So taking a cue from my physical goal, I realized I needed to change my spiritual goal too.
So for those of you who have set goals like I have and have felt as I have, I recommend that you CHANGE YOUR SPIRITUAL GOAL FROM HOW MUCH YOU WILL READ AND PRAY TO WHAT YOU WANT TO BE LIKE -- MORE LIKE JESUS.
The notion of spirituality can be so vague, (America is becoming more spiritual but less Christian) but when I say getting in spiritual shape as a Christian, I explicitly mean becoming like Jesus. This should be the goal of every Christian. You might have a unique way of phrasing your goal, but the core and motive for it should be becoming like Jesus. I suppose this can best be revealed by your love for God -- measured by obedience, (John 14:15) and your love for others -- measured by service (Matt 23:11).
2. HAVE A COMPREHENSIVE PLAN
This past January I met with a personal trainer and told him my goal. He explained two keys to attaining my goal.
1) Have a plan and stick to it. Having a plan kept me focused. When I rolled out of bed, I didn?t have to wonder what I would eat that day, if I should run or not, or what kind of strength training I should do. Having a plan gave me the freedom to act. I wasn?t stuck trying to come up with something to do.
2) Incorporate several things like nutrition, supplements, strength training, and aerobics, instead of relying on only one thing. With a comprehensive plan, you get a synergistic effect. For example even if you ran frequently, you wouldn?t make great progress if you ate donuts and smoked all day.
A spiritual training plan does the same thing. A SPIRITUAL TRAINING PLAN KEEPS YOU FOCUSED AND GROWS YOU FASTER. Without a plan it is easy to drift instead of making forward progress.
But with a plan, you don?t have to wonder what you should read or pray about. Additionally, with a comprehensive plan, you don?t rely on just one thing to help you grow. By combining several things such as Bible reading, commentaries, prayer, spiritual exercises, rest, etc., you get a synergistic effect. For the rest of this message we?ll look at what makes a comprehensive, synergistic plan.
3. ESTABLISH HEALTHY NUTRITION HABITS
Probably the most important progress in my health came from adjusting my diet. Changing what I put in my body reshaped my body. Eat junk, get flabby. Don?t eat at all and starve. The same is true spiritually.
BIBLE STUDY IS TO THE SPIRITUAL LIFE WHAT EATING IS TO THE PHYSICAL LIFE. JESUS taught that ?Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God? (Matt 4:4).
What kind of reading diet are you on? If you are not reading the Bible regularly, it?s likely you are spiritually anorexic.
While taking some philosophy classes in seminary, I found the reading to be fascinating and challenging. Unfortunately, I let these books replace my Bible reading, and after a couple of months I could literally feel God?s Spirit starving in me. When I started reading the Bible again, it immediately felt like food to my soul.
4. TAKE SUPPLEMENTS
In addition to eating more healthy meals, I also began taking vitamins and drinking ?shakes? to get enough protein. These supplements weren?t the center of my diet, but they added to it.
THE SPIRITUAL EQUIVALENT TO NUTRITIONAL SUPPLEMENTS ARE DEVOTIONAL BOOKS AND COMMENTARIES.
You can go to about any Christian bookstore to find a special section for each. There?s a variety of both older and newer devotional books available to help you. I recommend the older ones because they have withstood the test of time. Personally, I prefer to use commentaries as a Biblical supplement. So, for example, if you are currently studying the book of Matthew, buy a couple of commentaries on Matthew. These books will supplement your Biblical diet.
5. DO AEROBIC TRAINING
Essential to any health regimen is aerobic exercise. It increases stamina, strengthening heart and lungs. Aerobic training is literally the breath of life.
PRAYER IS TO THE SPIRITUAL LIFE WHAT BREATHING IS TO THE PHYSICAL LIFE.
You wouldn?t want to breathe for fifteen minutes in the morning and hope that it gets you through the rest of the day. Praying should be happening all day.
The Apostle Paul gives great advise on how to do this: ?Don?t fret or worry. Instead of worrying, pray. Let petitions and praises shape your worries into prayers, letting God know your concerns? (Phil 4:6 The Message).
Our continuous self-talk can be turned into prayer. I?ve been telling people and myself we are only a cranium?s width away from praying. We?re a mere decision away from converting our thoughts into prayer.
This is how you can pray continually: What do you worry about? Turn your worries into prayers. What do you dream about? Turn your dreams into prayer. Let God turn your life into a prayer.
6. DO STRENGTH TRAINING
Probably my favorite part of getting in shape was going to the gym to lift weights. At first, all those machines intimidated me. I was afraid I would get on one backwards and upside-down. But as I became familiar with each one, I could appreciate how it was specifically designed to stretch certain muscles.
SPIRITUAL EXERCISES (LIKE SOLITUDE, SILENCE, MEDITATION, WORSHIP, CONFESSION, STUDY, FASTING, SIMPLICITY, SERVICE, ETC.) ARE DIFFERENT STATIONS EXERCISING DIFFERENT PARTS OF THE SPIRIT. THROUGH THESE SPIRITUAL EXERCISES, WE VOLUNTARILY put ourselves in a position for God to transform us, each exercise helping us in a different way to become more like Jesus.
7. APPLY INTENSITY
In the world of weight training, ?intensity? means lifting slowly. It is easier to lift weights quickly, but lifting slowly gives you more results. A gym motto says it best; ?it?s not how much you lift, but how you lift that matters.?
Intensity applies to spiritual training as well. IT IS EASIER TO READ YOUR BIBLE QUICKLY, SPEED THROUGH A PRAYER LIST, OR TO FAST FAST, BUT GOING SLOWLY GIVES YOU GREATER RESULTS.
The gym motto has its own spiritual equivalent in the saying ?it?s not how much of the Bible you go through, but how much goes through you.? Apply intensity to your spiritual exercises. Don?t rush through your prayer list. Instead, be specific about your prayers, and ponder the heart of God and those you are praying for. Don?t speed read the Bible. Instead, let its message marinate your heart and head. For example, I usually get more out of reading one chapter three times than reading three chapters once.
8. RECRUIT A PARTNER
This has been absolutely catalytic for me. Before I started exercising, I invited my dad to work out with me. My dad hadn?t exercised for at least 15 years, but now he?s made at least as much progress as I have. But the point is not our progress, but our need for each other. My dad never would have started without me, and I never would have continued without him.
Richard Foster has said that ?The Disciplines (a.k.a. ?spiritual exercises?) are best exercised in the midst of our relationships with our husband or wife, our brothers and sisters, our friends and neighbors? (Celebration of Discipline, 1). This is true not only because we are more likely to do them, but also because that is how they were designed to be done. SPIRITUAL EXERCISES ARE TO BE DONE IN OUR RELATIONSHIPS AND FOR OUR RELATIONSHIPS. When I have invited others to study with me, not only am I faithful in doing it, but I also remember why I?m doing it. My spiritual growth happens best when I do it with others and for others.
I want to make an offer to you. I am willing to become your partner. I will share with you every week through email or mail what I am studying in my devotional time. If you are interested in this partnership, just indicate it in you attendance card.
9. TAKE A BREAK
You can over-train. That?s because your body doesn?t get stronger when you exercise unless you allow rest. Exercising tears down the body; it is the recovery of the body that builds strength.
This is an important lesson in the spiritual life as well. Your growth is not all up to you. BECOMING LIKE JESUS IS PARTLY WHAT YOU DO, BUT THE BIGGER PART IS WHAT GOD DOES IN, THROUGH, AND FOR YOU. God uses your life -- your successes, failures, heartbreaks, and relationships -- to grow you. Ask God to use your whole life to transform you into His image.
10. REWARD YOURSELF
Being in physical shape is its own reward. It feels good to feel good. This is even truer for getting in spiritual shape. Becoming more like Christ is its own amazing reward. It?s certainly no sin to RECOGNIZE WHAT GOD HAS DONE IN AND FOR YOU AND CELEBRATE IT! If you?ve been growing, celebrate it! Buy a new book or Christian music, share what God is doing in your life, invite some friends to dinner and spill your love all over them. Celebration is a Christian virtue and yet another way to become more like Jesus.
Getting in shape doesn?t come by accident -- physically or spiritually. And though we will never fully become like Jesus this side of heaven, tremendous progress can be made if we train.
